si men ven llorando // elizabeth tamayo
Artist Statement
My name is Elizabeth Tamayo, and I am a Mexican-American multimedia artist based in NYC. I am an artist working in graphic design and new media arts. My art centers around the interconnection of religion, culture, and identity. I am
interested in topics involving race, immigration, assimilation, and decolonization. My latest project focuses on the syncretism of Catholic beliefs and Native American convictions and how they coincide. As someone who identifies as Native
American, but grew up in a Catholic Mexican-American household, I struggle with my identity and feeling part of a community. I use my art to reach other first-generation young adults who due to migration have disconnected from their roots.
Project Statement
This project is about the Catholicization of Mexico and how that conflicts with Mexico’s identity. Mexicans strongly identify as Catholic but they also believe in their Native American traditions that have been passed down through
generations. We still hold on to our traditions, such as Day of the Dead, and we believe in pre-hispanic traditions such as limpias, mal ojo, and reincarnation. While La Virgen de Guadalupe was already highly venerated across Mexico and
people were going to Church every Sunday, indigenous towns were still unfamiliar with Hispanic religions. The church of Christo Rey was built in 1936 and that was a pivotal point for the community as the missionaries were targeting the poor
offering them food in exchange for their attendance at the church. For decades, my family held onto their language, food, and traditional clothing, but throughout the years we became religious.
lonesome // alex rojas
Artist Statement
I am Alexsander Rojas, a Mexican-American transmedia artist. I work in video, video game development, and theater. As a New Yorker, I have been fascinated by the bustle and hustle of the city, and live my life at a fast pace. My artworks
reflect my interests in transportation and self-exploration.
Project Statement
Lonesome focuses on mindsets, relationships, and identity. His artwork builds upon the idea of following a narrative through photos and videos. The short film tells the story of several characters transcending the experience of self-isolation
and the emotion and sensation that comes with trying to overcome the creator’s block. The film captures the creators' block’s dark and eerie feelings through lighting, space, and visuals. The out-of-body sensation is also shown in a scene
that highlights frustration in blank mind space. The abrupt flashing is to demonstrate the battle one’s mind goes through in an attempt to reconnect or accept their new reality.
ma nari // rassu shrestha
Artist Statement
My name is Rassu Shrestha and I am a multi-media artist. My practice is based on my personal experiences. Being an immigrant from a developing country like Nepal has really made me reflect and look at my life, past, present, and future, from
a different perspective. Therefore I use my art as a form of self-expression and manifestation (to some extent). My first foray into digital arts started with video and animation to convey statements of self-expression and inner monologue.
Then, I got into 3D modeling and created virtual worlds using software using open source softwares. Even though the main character of my practice is me and my self-concept, my aim is for my work to reach and relate to others on a personal
level.
Project Statement
My project MA NARI investigates the representation of the female body and stereotypes around it through short videos and graphics. Having come from a third-world country, I want to direct my work into providing a new outlook towards raising
awareness about misogynistic issues in a “traditional” society i.e., one that has predefined gender roles and gender bias notions. Using different aspects of new media art like video/visual art, 3D visuals, and drawing inspiration from
various artists such as Hito Steryl, Martha Rosler, Joan Jonas, and Peter Campus, this piece translates these ideas via current social media platforms. This piece in particular reflects on gender roles and being blinded by social conformity.
It has made me dig deeper into this and pick on issues I faced growing up. Seeing how different things are in more modern society really made me confront the issues of the conventional society that I came from. With this project, I wanted to
showcase and raise the question of what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a woman in different cultures and social settings. Ironically, the “traditional” convictions are being contradicted through the medium of contemporary
media.
woke // leanna sarfati
Artist Statement
My name is Leanna Sarfati. I’m a Queens, New York based multimedia artist that melds a mix of video, digital animation, stop motion, and sound to give the stage to my previously hidden unconscious frustrations and anxieties. My work
encapsulates a blend of both fiction and reality as a way to speak to the mental, physical, and emotional battles faced in the real world without having to be bondaged by reality’s restrictions.
Growing up in NYC is no easy feat. Sadly, along with thousands of other young city dwellers, I not only developed the typical NY callus against my environment, but I’ve also developed a shield against my own inner thoughts, feelings, and
beliefs. Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve been slowly able to unpeel each layer of my mind, a mind so foreign to me before, through my art.
The bondages of anxiety and worry have been at the center of my pieces as I take the viewers through various stages of my life, and finally, now ending with a forward-looking perspective voicing my worries for both my future and the future of
our world. However, the anxieties I express are in no way unique to me, and therefore as a Gen Z artist, I hope to be a voice that is able to reflect on the similar experiences of my generation as a way to share comfort and empowerment.
Project Statement
Through the ideas centered around control, censorship, and the draining repetition of life that has taken over much of our lives, my video begs the question: What does it really mean to live? Are we truly ever free? How much control is too
much control? Does joy have to be sacrificed for survival? And most importantly, what are we doing? These questions systematically explore and dissect many inner frustrations that have been brewing in my mind since the start of the pandemic.
Through this piece, I examine the generally accepted life path and question our education system and capitalism as a whole. This is done in a sarcastic and fictional manner to highlight how scarily unreal reality feels when you take time to
stop and think about capitalism's trap: the rat race.
I express this idea by paralleling the world we live in now with various dystopian fictional novels and concepts. As the main character, I put myself in the shoes of various figures as a way to more clearly portray some of the many wrongs of
our cruel society we have been taught to follow. Sadly, creativity, joy, and health continue to be repressed by nine to five jobs and the humdrum nature of life we’ve grown to accept. As we step foot into a world of control and mindless
output, many others are also beginning to realize this draining reality. I hope to evoke a sense of empowerment towards the younger generation breaking from society’s normalization of control and the rat race as a whole.
metaphases // lillian chen
Artist Statement:
I am an Asian American multimedia artist working with animations, digital drawings, and photos. By journaling, I reflect the impacts of how I experience life. My locked-up memories reveal the inner awkwardness and vulnerabilities that have
made me who I am. With these personal experiences, I generate mixed media that includes drawing and video editing around themes such as grief, loyalty, happiness, and honesty.
New York City exhibits various artworks from different artists. Graffiti, a notable art culture within the city, introduced me to calligraphy and word art. I started bullet journaling and journaled, tracked, and drew daily with different
themes. Being exposed to the bullet journaling world, I learned about many freelance artists who inspired me to create stickers for my passion projects. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I was also able to design and print stickers for
fundraisers to support Black Lives Matter and the Anti-Asian Hate movement.
Project Statement:
Metaphases reflect the experiences I had with the five stages of grief and how they are incorporated into my life. Meta refers to self-reflection, while phases represent the different moments that people experience. The scenes invoke a
feeling that is usually common or a universal feeling.
The short film depicts the emptiness and loneliness I felt when I lost someone I treasured. This idea sparked real-life experiences in communicating with others and with myself. The short film also uses the animation aspect of game choices in
if one is ready to move on or not. It is the basis of choosing what path to take and how involved one wants to be, inspired by Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. I’m interested in how people present themselves and how that may not always align with
what they say. Metaphases investigates the idea that what you go through builds character. A huge lesson that my project taught me is that family and friends will always be there when I am ready to move on with my life.