“So do you just draw?”
Art.
What was your first thought when reading that? Boring? Worthless? Whatever? Yes I know, go ahead and play the “I’m entitled to my own opinions” card.
So before you cut me off or close the tab, let me tell you what art means to me, and perhaps I could change that negative mind of yours.
Art has always been a constant aspect of my life ever since before I could even talk. It is something that resonates within my very soul, something that even if I try to escape. Eventually, I will always end back to square one. Loving art. *Ugh, I know super cheesy right?*
Between you and me, I was never some born prodigy, in fact, as a child, I was basically torturing scraps of paper with my colour crayons, which I for one could barely even grasp on to … *Continues to sip tea during this very cold weather.*
DISCLAIMER: Not trying to say I’m some self-proclaimed ‘wiz artistic, talented person’, I’m just hoping to point out the importance of art and how it impacted my life and potentially the lives of society. *Very cheesy and over dramatic — I know. Please don’t leave.*
Ok, how about I stop disturbing you with my personal life and get on with the actual topic. I hope you’re excited to see plenty of examples of art by myself and others. *I’m not the best drawer — just putting it out there!*
WHAT IS ART REALLY?
Maraviglia recognised that art is generally a means of communication in an aesthetic manner. It combines elements of culture, economic and social substrates to transmit and reveal meaningful messages. *APPLAUSE* Its very definition open, subjective and debatable; the concept itself has and continues to change over coming centuries. It is an expression of one’s personal emotions that cannot be confined to one definition. Art is dynamic itself, after all.
Oh, look! Here’s an example of one of my arts.
Though the piece is purely digital painting, I have incorporated animation aspects into it. If you look closely you can see the art itself moving. *No you’re not crazy*
This I feel can be a powerful medium to express yourself, through its use of a ‘sunset’ palette, I aimed to create a surrealistic experience for all to see.
Over the course of my life, I have seen art constantly becoming a victim of prejudice to the perceptions of society. “Oh, you do art?” I would hear. “Why don’t you go play sports? Drawing is for sissies”. *Yaawwwn, I’ve heard it all* Many people with little to no experience in art automatically jump on the bandwagon with the narrow mindset of art only having an external purpose, being for entertainment and visual aesthetics. But no. Art is much more than all that; it has the power to empower and help those held captives within the shackles of society to find their own emancipation. To me, Art is a constant struggle. It’s a business, an escape, and an outreach. Art is a collaboration of individuals coming together to make a statement. It is a relentlessly unforgiving fury that has the potential to magically transform itself into beauty without ego. *I’m not crying; you’re crying!!*
Alright so that’s enough of art in its basic form, let us talk about how it can definitely be used as a powerful social justice tool to raise awareness of issues. What issues you may ask? Well, of course, gender identities! *pfft as if you didn’t know*
OK SO HOW EXACTLY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Enough talking about art. Well, we’re still talking about art, just more about its importance. Not only has art been a safe haven for me, but it has also shaped my interests and world views on various topics and contemporary issues. Not to mention, it has influenced me to be more accepting of the identities of people around me, especially gender. Though I can’t be sure if art is solely the cause, it has definitely helped me to become inclusive of all ideals and values including the male and female gender; especially those who identify as transgender, nonbinary and many more.
As stated before, art has the power to empower and emancipate those who are held captive by the ignorance of society. This being that there are little to no online or offline spaces that help support gender identities, many media do not assist these issues. Though art is a crucial piece of medium tool that helps empowers those suffering from identity issues through expressing their ideals and emotions.
LETS TALK ABOUT DEBORAH KELLY
Kelly is a brilliant example of an artist who uses her platform to empower and create awareness of gender identity within Australian society. The Conversation describes Kelly to be both a sensitive and politically staunch person, whos art upends comfortable notions of ‘white’ Australia, by unpacking gender and media representations and exploring elusive questions of its community.
*What an inspiration!!*
When looking through Kelly’s pieces, this work of hers particularly caught my attention. This is especially due to its title, ‘No Human Being is Illegal (Glory Be!)’. The title coincides with the work itself, showcasing over 70 people Kelly collaborated within their full glory in order to portray the message of gender empowerment, and especially body positivity.
So I would like to say this piece here is one of my favourites that I have created. It uses the obvious ‘sunset’ palette that many of my works have. *Maybe it’s a stylistic choice — who knows*
It involves the issue with transgender, how society unacknowledges those who identify as transgender; saying how “oh, it’s just a phase honey, get over it!” But obviously its not. It showcases a male in pink looking into a bathroom reflection only to see a female in blue (Stereotypical gender colours). There is a contrast between the content smiling expression with the tears streaming down their face; illustrating the issues with society ignoring transgenders. Forcing them to hide their emotions and real self just to fit into society.
Now looking more into Kelly’s works, it’s quite obvious she has a major different artistic style as compared to mine. Hers includes using realistic collages laced together with a pinch of abstractivity in order to convey a more relatable atmosphere. Whereas when looking at my own styles, I tend to lean more towards a semi-realistic digital painting style. *Though most millennials would be the same too* There is an abundance of purple and orange shades and lighting incorporated into my works, illustrating a ‘sunset-like’ theme. I feel like I take pride more on the aesthetics of my works to cause emotional reactions from the audience as a result of my choice of complementary colours. Ultimately both styles are perfectly well rounded and have their different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to expressionism. The most important thing I would say is if the art can transmit a message to the audience. If it can empower the audience. If it caters to a verse variety of audience, especially those suffering from gender identities. If it checks those boxes, then it’s doing its job.
Okay, so I hope I have at least change your mind about art and how it can be a powerful medium to communicate hidden messages, especially towards social issues. *If not then I literally just wasted my time and am now embarrassed for putting myself out there*
Who knows, maybe I could just have convinced you to take up drawing too!
