taneja.sandhya
Parsons Challenge 2
Size 11" x 19" inches
Medium: Soft Pastels and Acrylic Paints on Paper
WHO AM I?
This is a question that is unanswerable for many because they have forgotten who they are. In the face of social pressure, we leave behind our real identity. We put on the mask of geniality when we are crying inside so that no one can find out and tread on our vulnerabilities. We are often caught in our own web of restrictions in our desire to present ourselves in a particular image for all to see. As we grow older, the web becomes bigger and bigger until it overshadows our real self. Then we simply assume another identity so that we ‘fit in’. The mask of respectability, the mask of kindness, the mask of happiness, the mask of friendship – there are many available to suit our requirements. But, behind the façade, have we become blank? Have we become meaningless, purposeless and dispassionate in this circle of artificiality?
My art piece seeks to ask these questions and pull out answers from those who feel moved by it. The web is torn in places and it is a conscious representation of hope – the hope that we can find our true selves among layers of covering under which we are hiding. The person represented is a girl in her late teens, when social pressures and the corresponding desire to conform to an ideal is the maximum. Will she put on yet another mask or will she be brave enough to show herself to the world? The painting is in transit.
Parsons Challenge 2
Size 11" x 19" inches
Medium: Soft Pastels and Acrylic Paints on Paper
WHO AM I?
This is a question that is unanswerable for many because they have forgotten who they are. In the face of social pressure, we leave behind our real identity. We put on the mask of geniality when we are crying inside so that no one can find out and tread on our vulnerabilities. We are often caught in our own web of restrictions in our desire to present ourselves in a particular image for all to see. As we grow older, the web becomes bigger and bigger until it overshadows our real self. Then we simply assume another identity so that we ‘fit in’. The mask of respectability, the mask of kindness, the mask of happiness, the mask of friendship – there are many available to suit our requirements. But, behind the façade, have we become blank? Have we become meaningless, purposeless and dispassionate in this circle of artificiality?
My art piece seeks to ask these questions and pull out answers from those who feel moved by it. The web is torn in places and it is a conscious representation of hope – the hope that we can find our true selves among layers of covering under which we are hiding. The person represented is a girl in her late teens, when social pressures and the corresponding desire to conform to an ideal is the maximum. Will she put on yet another mask or will she be brave enough to show herself to the world? The painting is in transit.