Reflections

Project Statement

This piece explores the fluidity of identity and the complex relationship between our outer personas and inner selves. The avatar, whose face transforms layer by layer, represents the shifting nature of identity and mental states. The outer metal layers, mechanical and cold, peel away to reveal ever-changing, more vulnerable layers beneath. This process is symbolic of the constant reinvention we undergo, both in how we perceive ourselves internally and how we present ourselves to the world.

Artist Statement

The piece takes place in an intimate and surreal realm of a dream, where I attempt to illustrate the concept that our truest, most authentic selves exist within this subconscious space, where societal expectations and external pressures dissolve. In dreams, we are free to explore the raw and unfiltered facets of our identity, while also being confronted by aspects of suppressed identity, unbound by the constraints of reality. The avatar serves as a metaphor for the constructed nature of identity and the alienation often felt in depression, where layers of emotional armor are used to shield the self from the world. Through this work, I invite the viewer to reflect on their layers of identity and the intersection of vulnerability and resilience.