IB VISUAL ARTS 2023
sunday stafford
The artworks in my exhibition are centred around the concept of ‘Connection and Disconnection’. I have explored both through the relationships and personal connections I have formed and that I have felt to place and environment. I centred my body of work around connection and disconnection as these are universal experiences and are important to human nature. Connection with, family, friends, and community provide us with happiness, belonging and security, it also supports us in our mental and physical well-being. It is proven that people who make consistent connections with others are likely to be happier. However, this too has a limit because not all connections that we form are necessarily healthy or beneficial.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, security and safety are considered to be the second most important, this is referencing connection to place and the environment where we feel most safe. The third is the need for belonging and love which are the connections that we form to other people and beings. When learning of the importance of these connections I found that I strongly related to the need for these types of connections. In my personal life I was also challenged by disconnection in some respects as whilst connection is important it is often difficult and when forced can do more damage than good. I have found that at times where it is difficult to understand the importance of connection it is because the connection is something that is forced rather than one that comes naturally and effortlessly.
I was initially inspired by the changes in connection that I have experienced over the years, I have learnt from personal experience that both connection and disconnection are ever changing and evolving. I experienced the positive and negative elements of both connection and disconnection, throughout the years of the pandemic (2020 and 2021). For the first time I learnt to truly appreciate being alone and to some extent disconnected from friends and family. It was during this time that I first identified that I was in addition to being an extrovert, slightly introverted as I found that I gained energy and appreciated my time alone.
My exhibition theme and the artworks I have chosen to include are largely inspired and informed by Frida Kahlo and David Hockney. Both these artists have strongly influenced me as they take inspiration from their everyday lives, environment, emotions, feelings and more. These are ever changing influences, and this is reflected in their works. I also wanted to communicate this in my exhibition, by capturing the connections and disconnections that I experienced in 2022 and 2023, creating a capsule of my experiences, emotions, feelings. This can be seen through the concerts that I experienced, the interiors and exteriors of the places that I live, the figures that I am surrounded by.
Frida Kahlo’s artworks have largely inspired my body of work as she took inspiration largely from her own experiences and challenges. I aspired to similarly take inspiration from my personal connections and disconnections and the experiences that I associated with both. A number of my artworks such as Parasocial, The 2 Fridas, St Andrews Beach, and Corridors all explored the connection that I find to be important in my life, while other artworks such as Crowded corridors, New Growth, and “Home” all explore the disconnection that I experience every day. This disconnection is expressed both in a social sense, through loneliness and isolation and in a physical sense, in distancing myself from others, not just emotionally.
The idea of disconnection being something that is negative is an important element that I worked to breakdown and dismantle through my artworks. Whilst we can perceive disconnection as a negative experience it is also a space where we can spend time alone. For many, disconnection is positive and healthy as it is a time for reflection and looking inwards rather than seeking validation through external sources. Through the creation of this body of 8 artworks I have created a detailed exploration of both the damaging and rebuilding qualities of personal connection and disconnection.
Crowded corridors
52 x 41cm
Oil on canvas
This artwork explores some of the emotions that are experienced by a person with anxiety. It is about the isolation that we as humans often experience. I painted this artwork as both a personal reflection as someone who experiences severe anxiety but also as a representation of what others also experience. The hallway is dark, moody and full of people, the figure that is in red however is representative of an anxious person who is overwhelmed and experiencing extreme loneliness despite being in this crowded and active space.
Parasocial
61 x 76cm
Oil on canvas
This artwork explores parasocial relationships that people experience, specifically the idolising of musicians and performers. People often form connections such as these as we find that it is a way in which we can relate to someone through their art or public presence. The figures are all expressionless and faceless, making a statement about how as much as we wish we knew these people we do not and that we as viewers are one of many in the crowd highlighting our anonymity. However, as a member of the crowd or audience we often create new connections with others through shared interest.
The 2 Fridas
46 x 36cm each
2 x oil on canvas
The 2 Fridas is an artwork that explores the personal connection between me and my dog, Frida, and also the connection I feel between myself and Frida Kahlo. I have been inspired and influenced by Kahlo over the last few years and visited The Blue House in Coyacan in Mexico. Her artworks have inspired mine largely over the years. I have sought to create a contrast between these two Fridas, one which is a static etching of the artist framed and hung on the wall in my kitchen, she is an influential presence in my life, the other portrait is of my dog, who is alive and a strong presence in my life.
New Growth
76 x 152cm
Oil on canvas
Imperfection and change are present in all of our lives. New Growth explores how humans are forced to adapt and grow with this change. This painting shows how my family has changed over the years, as we have all grown, aged and changed, both naturally and in some ways forcefully, through the separation of my parents.
“Home”
40 x 30cm
2x lino cut print on paper
This artwork is of my front garden with a view of the kitchen window looking into the heart of my family home. This artwork is an exploration of perception and deception, what we see or assume verses what is actually going on. “Home” was created at a time when my parents were separating, we were still living in our family home, but my parents were alternating living in our home. From the outside everything appears to be normal but in reality, we were experiencing something completely out of the normal. This is 2-dimensional, representing that what we see is often not as simple as it appears to be.
St Andrews Beach
40 x 53cm
Water Colour on paper
This artwork is of the deck and garden of our home in St Andrews Beach, an environment that represents safety, home, and family. I have often worked at this table outdoors looking across this deck and spent time with my family eating lunch or playing on the deck. I used water colour to represent the light and airy quality of the ocean environment, and these qualities also represent the safety I felt in this environment. It is a place where I connect with my introverted side and learnt to spend time alone appreciating the simplicity and quiet of my own company especially during the pandemic.
Concrete Jungle
40 x 52cm
Oil on board
Concrete Jungle is inspired by an evening when I was on the Western edge of Melbourne CBD and was looking at the night scape of the city from a distant and objective view. This view gave me perspective of the scale and cool nature of this urban environment. The dark tones and man-made light interested me in contrast to a natural environment. I became aware of my small personal scale in this concrete jungle. This artwork is important as it represents another side of myself which I feel connection to which is more extroverted, and also learning to appreciate the busy environment.
