True Identity
CONTENT WARNING: This artwork contains or explores content that touches on any of the following topics: abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, verbal); aspects of psychology and mental health and contains depictions of self-harm, substance abuse, eating disorders, or suicide; swears or curses; hurtful or hateful language; discrimination (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation); aspects of pregnancy; blood, violence, assault, kidnapping, trauma, or dying. Please read or view with care.
Carlia C.
Acrylic Paint
-
Inspired by one of my favorite songs, I created a painting sharing the idea that people may present themselves differently on the outside while hiding their real selves. The piece depicts a calm man who initially doesn't appear to be out of the ordinary. However, the longer one stares at the painting, odd details start to become increasingly noticeable: the alarming blood on his shirt, the sinister building and daunting sky, a cathedral’s stained glass window, and so on. Similar to a cracked mirror, the background is shattered, revealing interesting imagery that could be associated with the figure. Piecing it together, it’s clear something odd is going on. Is he responsible for a murder? Is he the one dead? Or perhaps he’s a vampire? The story is up to the interpretation of the viewer, but the message holds: people aren’t always who they seem to be, and may carry a strange past with them. Through my work, I hoped to create a captivating work that intrigued its audience, or just sparked a little imaginative thinking. Though bold and chaotic, I enjoy how it differs from my other paintings of normal peaceful landscapes, and hope others find it as striking as I do. Aside from the seriousness, the painting serves as a canvas for people to come up with their own version of the story and have fun with it.
-
Creativity is going against the norm to construct new outcomes. People push the limits of what’s possible or “correct” to society’s standards, and when we see this, we are encapsulated by it because they break the limits we have unintentionally set for ourselves. Creativity saves us from a mundane life.
