Kaylee Vanlue ART399 Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Kaylee VanlueFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 2024

Artist Statement

Serving as vessels through which one is able to navigate notions of identity, belonging, and passages of change, honoring intersections of cultural heritage alongside influence of the diasporic community, my work is established. Central to my body of work is exploration of lived experiences alongside the development of materials over time. Emphasizing the interactions of an item with the environment it has been placed in. How do these reactions of environment evolve into something relatable to lived experiences of humans, and how does it tie everyone together?

Consisting of ancestral impact, close at hand with modern comforts, an intertwine of multicultural perspectives is established. I include motifs of Vietnamese history into my work through traditional practices or forms juxtaposed with contemporary content, combing through heavy and light topics of race concerning more than the Asian community alone, tying in any and all issues of identity or a communal identity that one can identify strongly with.

Exploration of the metamorphosis of something that will be created and the interactivity of a piece with its environment or an audience have recently become essential in my planning or indented finishing of a piece. Acknowledgement of what will become of someone or yourself in the future is essential, as is what something will become once you have left it to continue within its natural process. Just as materials undergo transformations in response to their environmental factors, we as individuals adapt in our own ways. Similar to how weathering can shape the form or texture of an object, life factors such as experiences and cultural upbringing shape a person’s perspectives, beliefs, and personality. Moreover, the “decay” of an object acts as a metaphor for the wearing processes an individual would undergo throughout their lifespan. Relationship between material change and human change serves as a distinct reminder of the interconnectedness of the natural world; all the while, roping in universal themes of impermanence, resilience, and adaptation.

Conducted through metals, fibers, and wood, recently my work has held inspiration from an Asian American artist, Georgina Leung who specializes in cultural motifs in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional fabrications and Chie Shimizu, whose work focuses on significance of human existence while also tracing back into his ancestral past. Leung tends to air on the lighter side of things using comfort imagery to bring a more ataractic sense to her work while Shimizu evokes a more intense use of similar imagery to portray individualistic energy and “immensity of nature”.

Ultimately, the navigation of self and others mirrored by the continuation of evolution are what drive the intention of this body of work. The relationships and reciprocal nature of an object with an environment produce messages of everyday experiences that can relate all people together despite the personal significance of a piece. Interconnection of human life and the life of a tangible object is what I find best transcends cultural boundaries and bridges individual gaps of understanding between all people.

Advisor/Mentor

Jeanne Beaver, Mike Martin

Description

This collection of works focuses on the Vietnamese identity and the idea of perspective. It includes a variety of forms, such as metals, printmaking, and fibers. Included are pieces like, Sen, following Vietnamese tradition through the form of a traditional funerary hair pin worn by loved ones, specifically in the pre-war era. It shines light onto the beauty of tradition that is no longer carried as strongly as it once was, shedding significance in its culture and the perspectives of new generations. The Family Face touches on similar issues, yet through a contemporary lense. This piece focuses on lost tradition just within one lifetime, tying in personal and broad signifiers of childhood and struggles within an Asian household, expressed through floral and fauna motifs, styles, and patterns.

Photo Credit

Kaylee Vanlue

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Vanlue, Kaylee, "Kaylee Vanlue ART399 Portfolio" (2024). Professional Practices (ART 399). 153.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/153