Kinda Like

Author/Artist Name

Autumn BrownFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 4-9-2021

Artist Statement

I was raised in a community that was raised to not empathize with queer people or their struggles. I was hyper-aware of my differences growing up, both internal and external, and spent a lot of time pondering identity and how people perceive one another. My work is the result of that introspection; sequential artworks depicting characters in states of transmutation or duality that explore both beautiful and repulsive facets of identity alike. I encourage my audience to join me in questioning the way we categorize ideas like gender, sexuality, and self image. I manipulate familiar multidimensional surfaces, primarily ceramics, mixed media videos, and zines, to create small narratives. The work provides a unique opportunity to form a relationship with the viewer as they interact with it. The tactility of my work grounds the experience in the relatable, while the integration of humor and empathy encourages people to understand both themselves and each other. The viewer’s ability to enjoy my pieces, regardless of their prior experience with the subject matter is my priority. I want my audience to see themselves depicted in my work without shame. By doing this I hope to alleviate the stigma associated with “otherness.”

I am influenced by Lisa Barcy and Lisa Hanawalt for the ways that their art practice mirrors my own. Barcy integrates and manipulates found objects in her animations in a way that inspires both my still and motion-based work. Hanawalt parallels the way I use lighthearted imagery to speak on deeper and more sensitive topics, all while managing to keep a humorous tone.

Advisor/Mentor

Todd Herzberg, John Utgaard, Sarah Martin, T. Michael Martin

Description

My exhibition featured seven shelves featuring eight different zines and books across three walls, and a large projection that cycled through four animations, as well as an interactive space for viewers to leave comments by writing on paint chips and attaching them to a bulletin board. The work explores the concept of identity and how our body image, gender, sexuality, and mental health work together to form that.

Photo Credit

Autumn Brown

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Brown, Autumn, "Kinda Like" (2021). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 78.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/78