This duo is comprised of two multimedia pieces that center around the idea of childhood narratives and generational identity. Each work is two feet by one and a half feet and consists of acrylics, colored pencil, ink pens, and textiles. This series was created to explore the connection between an individual and their environment specifically within the context of the era someone grows up in. As an artist born in the late 1990s the predominance of my childhood occurred during the 2000s. Therefore, the work generated throughout this exploration focuses on the 2000s as an era both in the personal aspects of my specific childhood as well on more universal themes that shaped a generation. An individual’s formative years are critical in their development and it is fascinating to understand how the external environment of different time periods shapes the development of a child. 

 

The foreground of each piece includes a figure representing my child self. These figures reference childhood photographs taken by my mother allowing me to accurately depict both myself but also include clothing and objects that were true to the time. The background of the pieces are painted or collaged utilizing symbolic imagery that alludes to subjects relevant to the early 2000s. Themes referenced in the background include ideas such as rapid changes in technology, cognitive development in relation to specific toys and play, and pop culture symbols that signify the era. The forefront figure emerges out of the background pattern connecting the personal imagery with more universal themes. The aesthetics for the figure background relationship found in my work is heavily influenced by the portraits of Sophia Bonati and Kehinde Wiley who both play with patterns surrounding a main figure. Similar to my pieces Sophia Bonati works with blocking in shape with color or pattern in her multimedia works. 

 

The pieces are multimedia both to utilize the best materials for each subject but also in an effort to collage together a collection of ideas that represent a time period. This mixed use of mediums also allowed me to bring items from my childhood onto the canvas such as the fabric taken from old dolls clothes in the third piece. For the style, I wanted to focus more on the perspective of looking back on childhood memories. The series includes a combination of hyperrealism as well as more surrealistic imagery in order to distort the reality of the references such as is done by our own memories of events. 

 

 As a whole, this duo primarily explores my personal identity and reflection on how my environment and experiences have shaped my character. However, while no experience is truly universal I do believe that my exploration will work beyond my own childhood and begin to expand to themes of generational experiences and the connection an age group has with shared events during their upbringing. While we all lead different lives it is compelling to examine how a select amount of shared experiences can tie together a whole generation.