ABOUT ME

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Question:

My goal for this project is to demonstrate the impact that public art has on the perceptions of the general public and how art can have political meaning through a short series of miniature murals. My downsized pieces will depict themes of global warming and feminism, two subjects about which I am very passionate.

History & Distinction:

I have been inspired mainly by the works of Diego Rivera and others involved in the Mexican Muralist movement, since they were able to use art to make a political impact following the Mexican Revolution. Though it doesn’t show in the style I chose, one mural that was very inspirational to me is “Man at the Crossroads,” the mural that Rivera painted to be displayed at the Rockefeller center in New York City. Nelson Rockefeller had it destroyed before it was finished, but Rivera later repainted it in Mexico and titled it “Man, Controller of the Universe” (“Man at the Crossroads” by Diego Rivera). The painting includes many political figures and themes of social and political issues of the time, each represented in their own quadrants. This was particularly inspiring for me, since my end goal was to also create something with social and political meaning that others would be drawn to.

I originally planned to view murals around cities, specifically DC; however, in our current climate, I was unable to do so. Instead, I researched murals online that I could draw inspiration from. I focused on female muralists to see what styles they used and how they depicted themes through their art. One woman that I was particularly drawn to was Shamsia Hassani. She is an Afghan street artist who focuses on themes of women’s rights, especially within her culture and the struggles Afghan women face (“Shamsia Hassani Interview”). Though my murals turned out very different than her graffiti art, I drew inspiration from her use of bright colors and fairly simple shapes.

Approach:

I have always been someone who doesn’t like to plan very much when it comes to art. So, for this project, once I was inspired by the many murals that I looked at, I jumped right into sketching my first mural. I knew I wanted my first one to be about the earth because it was right around the time that Australia was suffering from the horrific wildfires. After I sketched that mural, I hit a wall, mostly because I lost all motivation to do anything when our whole world was flipped upside-down. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise when I became enraged with the political climate that we live in. That motivated me to sketch out my final two murals, which both had a focus on feminism and empowering women, something that seems to be lacking in the current political climate. Once I sketched, painting was a breeze and I actually had a lot of fun and was able to relax and take a breather amongst all the craziness in the world.

Audience:

My original audience would have been students, faculty, and families at the University of Maryland, and that will still be my primary audience; however, now that my exhibition is in an online format, anyone around the world can view my murals. This opportunity is very exciting and is one positive that is coming out of this difficult situation.

Impact:

I hope that by viewing my paintings, people are inspired to take action to defend our earth from climate change and defend the rights of women, both in the United States and abroad.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank Harold and Heather for their helpful feedback that allowed me to make this project the best that it could be. They also provided me with encouragement when I was lacking motivation, even when the deadline was quickly approaching.

References:

“Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera.” Man at the Crossroads by Deigo Rivera, www.diegorivera.org/man-at-the-crossroads.jsp.

“Shamsia Hassani Interview.” Street Art Bio, www.streetartbio.com/people/shamsia-hassani-interview/.