"Cognitive Sprawl" was the name of my Honor's Thesis Exhibition that was open to the public in the John Sommer's Gallery on the UNM campus in November of 2010. Here I put together a couple of 360 degree views of the exhibition. You can click on the images to get a closer look. Below is my artist's statement and a list of works shown in the exhibition with links that you can click on to see images.
Artist's Statement:
The human mind is capable of creating a multitude of conclusions about reality, truth, and existence. I am fascinated by the human mind and the complexity of its possibilities and so, at a very basic level, I am interested in philosophy and mysticism, reason and faith, and how ideas can develop and compete, but also coexist. I also find an internal conflict in myself over my interest in complexity and an obsession I have with simplicity. The coexistence of conflicting ideas is sometimes represented symbolically in my work through the use of animal figures. Labyrinths, knots, and fractals also appear in my work as symbols, simultaneous of complexity and simplicity. My work is inspired by my personal struggles with my mental health, my identity, and my religious upbringing. I try to approach this subject matter in a way that allows my work to resonate with the experiences and beliefs of others (whatever they may be).
The pagan cultural practice of walking a labyrinth was adopted by the Catholic Church in medieval times as a form of prayer, meditation, and symbolic pilgrimage. However, the Labyrinth has historically been used in cultures throughout the world. The Labyrinth is often confused with the maze, but scholars generally agree that the labyrinth has a single path, while the maze provides a choice of paths to take. Decision making is difficult, but the single path of the labyrinth, with no choices to be made, is incredibly appealing when overwhelmed with questions and uncertainty. It is a small comfort for me to imagine that a single path exists, and that the real challenge is simply finding it. In spite of all the challenges and questions I have I find that creating can function as an act of escape and meditation. Because of this, I hope my work communicates a combination of feelings; anxiety and uncertainty but also a sense of calm and peace.
List of Works:
