MARIS ROBINSON
Senior SL
Curatorial Rationale:
I curated my show with the idea of the Self. The art and imagery in my show represents who I am as a person, what I believe in. My theme was originally the divine feminine, however, as I created more art, I realized what I was trying more to do was represent my own energy. I decided on my theme as the perception of myself, because I discovered this year through this class, that I was trying too hard to follow others and create a similar aesthetic. I decided to move away from the Divine Feminine idea and move towards the idea of myself, because I realized I don’t know who I am as a person, and need to continue to discover myself and my beliefs as I age. I chose to do most of my pieces through photography, because I believe the most accurate way to capture yourself is through your experiences. The photos I chose (as previously stated) represented when I felt most at peace with myself, and uninhibited. I decided to investigate how to show my true self to the world by creating an exhibit that included political and spiritual art which coincided with all of my beliefs. I want my viewers to be able to see exactly who I am, without any ability to misinterpret my beliefs.
MARIS ROBINSON
click images to enlarge - artist statements below - leave comments at bottom
ARTIST STATEMENTS
Awakening
Collage (incomplete.)
18x24in
This piece was created with one of my favorite books we read in high school, Siddhartha by
Herman Hess. This book was life changing to me, and this piece uses pages from the book to
create a personal art piece. I read this book my junior year, and decided to create this piece to
remind myself that to become yourself, you must try different things and while some may not
work out, in the end everything will be okay. I decided to use collage as a medium because it
allowed me to incorporate multiple elements of the book while still being able to use my own
composition. I used my annotated copy of the book instead of fresh pages because I liked the
aesthetic more, and it allowed me to make the piece more personal.
From A Place of Empowerment 1
Film Photography
8x10in
This photo is part of a series titled Photos From a Place of Empowerment. These photos
represent the feeling of safety, and remind me of a time in which everyone was able to be
themselves. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, I was unable to complete this series because
many of the photos that were supposed to be in it are unable to be developed. My artistic intent
was to express the moments in which I felt the safest with myself, times in which I did not
have to worry about the world around me. This series incorporates candid photos taken of
unaware bystanders to truly capture the raw emotion and energy of the times in which they were
taken.
From a Place of Empowerment 2
(Film Photography)
8x10”
This photo is second in the series, capturing a woman and her friend. While these photos were
unplanned, the common theme is joy. I believe these photos are so personal to me because the
time in which they were taken, nobody seemed to feel inhibited. The environment was nothing
but positive, and looking at them reminds of the fact that there are people in this world to
provide comfort, and when united, we can all do great things
From a Place of Empowerment 3
(Film Photography)
8x10”
This photo is third in the series. While these photos were unplanned, the common theme is joy.
I believe these photos are so personal to me because, at the time they were taken, nobody seemed to feel inhibited. The environment was nothing but positive, and looking at them reminds of the fact that there are people in this world to provide comfort, and when united, we can all do great things
La Femme en Rouge
Acrylic on Canvas Board
18x24in
Originally, I wanted the theme of my show to be about femininity and the idea of what makes
someone a woman. I created this piece with the inspiration of the 1920s female, short hair,
boyish body, and expanding the world for women. The 1920s era of women was one of the first
eras to stray away from the idea of traditional feminine beauty. Before the flapper, was the
Gibson Girl, a woman with long hair, porcelain skin, and flowing long dresses. The Flapper
Feminist movement rejected the idea that women should uphold society’s expectations of the
modern woman. They believed that women weren't just objects defined by their virginity, and
that women should be able to dance, party, and show some skin not solely for the pleasure of
males. This generation of women gave many other women the power to vote, and while Susan
B. Anthony is no role model, the 20’s movement of feminism was one of the most empowering,
iconic movements. I placed the woman in a red dress against a black background with stark
white skin because I wanted to enhance the contrast in the painting and use empowering colors.
Red represents power to me and is very “in-your-face.” A woman is powerful, and is not scared
to stand up for herself and others, and I felt as if the energy behind the color red encapsulated
that perfectly. The black background represented a woman's true ability to stand out even in the
darkest of times. Women ran the country during WWII, and Edith Wilson basically ran our
country following her husband's stroke in October 1919. I wanted this piece to remind people
that you deserve to follow nobody's standards but your own, and being truly empowered is
being yourself.
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