Iliana Fuentes

“What is your favorite artwork?”

Curatorial Rationale

Identity is a thing that is hard to define. One's unique sense of self can never truly be put into words. Through art, imagery can attempt to capture what words cannot, and share an artist's perspective on some small fraction of the universal human experience that is the process of forming an identity. Emotion, environment, gender, culture, and inevitably the perception of others coagulate into the final concept of an "identity": a concept that is deeply personal and integral to the way one walks through life as their own, individual being. In this exhibition, I invite you to explore one such perspective and how I have chosen to depict my interactions with it, from the point of view of an artist that has long grappled with the formation of my own distinct identity.

To address a theme this broad, I broke the main concept down into pieces. Identity to conflict within identity, to the sources of conflict, to the ways this conflict manifests, to resolution and acceptance. I deliberately use androgynous or non human figures to allow all viewers to form their own interpretations of my depictions of identity, self-reflection, and perception. The recurring imagery of bones, flesh, and viscera are representative of my belief in anatomy as the most objective way to perceive identity, portraying bodies at their most basic and free of identification. Anatomical imagery can be disturbing, but beautiful as well. The blending of the beautiful and the grotesque is appropriate to the messiness of life itself, and finding the middle ground between the two is emblematic of accepting all parts of our selves, including the negative aspects that are more difficult to face. I choose mediums which allow me to experiment with color and contrast, highlighting my works with vibrant colors and harsh lighting. I find the most freedom in using bright, saturated colors to render the detail and texture of the art I create; the contrast of light and dark being a tool to emphasize the lines and shapes at play as well as furthering the appreciation of both “good” and “bad”, the easy and the difficult stages of forming a sense of self.  

This exhibition is curated to lead you as a viewer through different facets of my body of work, loosely divided by medium and specific theme. Pieces in clusters of 2-3 focus on separate aspects of identity: internal against external influence, perception, the body, acceptance, and struggle. The Psychoentomology/Avetheism diptych and Kago no Naka share characters and themes, with the prints framed beside the center of the diptych’s canvases. 3d artworks are positioned to complement the subjects and imagery of the works behind them. I arranged my pieces both low and high on the wall to make use of my limited space. Striking colors and dramatic visuals are meant to leave an impression, presenting all the gory details with a decided bluntness. This objectivity may be uncomfortable, which is a fully intended consequence of these visual choices. I created these pieces to be memorable with the potential to start conversations. Some paths to self-realization are more difficult than others, and I wish for my artworks here to be the catalyst to wider discussions on the nature of identity and the ways it develops for us.

Iliana’s Art Work

  • Dissection

    35 x 17.5 cm

    Digital, Procreate

    Instead of conflict, this piece is about the acceptance of one's identity. The symbolism of viscera, evocative of pain and struggle, is instead used to communicate ultimate vulnerability and trust. The intimacy of sharing oneself with another is communicated visually with a figure literally “opening up”. Dissection is practiced to study and learn the inner workings of an organism, but is used here to represent personal as opposed to biological understanding.

  • Beautiful Daughter

    40 x 18 cm

    Mixed media using wire, fabric, foam, air-dry clay

    Opposing visual elements are combined to create a charming, but unsettling piece. Recognizable but inhuman, a wide-eyed face stares behind shaggy black fur on a doglike body. The creature’s full form comes as a surprise from either end. As an artwork about division within identity, a disconnect between an external and internal self is shown through the blending of stylized animal and human elements. Rather than concerned, the beast is satisfied with being neither one thing nor the other.

  • Observer

    23 x 10 cm

    Mixed media: paper mache, paper mache clay, faux fur

    When addressing a theme of selfhood and identity, a mask is a natural choice of work for its ability to transform a wearer and obscure one’s identity. This mask appears to look back at its audience, with eyes designed to follow a viewer with multiple golden pupils wherever they stand in relation to it. This mask conceals and observes identity at the same time, observing its audience as much as they observe it. Its’ expression is neither disapproving or kind, only curious as to what it sees.

  • Viscera

    21.6 x 28 cm

    Digital, Procreate

    As a focus on the process of forming one’s identity, this piece visualizes self discovery as a violent but necessary process. A human figure claws out from the innards of an unknown beast, still incomplete and semi-transparent as if undergoing metamorphosis. Taking full advantage of a digital medium, unnaturally bright colors enhance the striking visuals and emphasise the stained skeleton of the beast.

  • Metamorphose

    45.5 x 23.5 cm

    Acrylic on canvas

    In line with themes of change and self discovery, this triptych uses a physical transformation to represent dramatic personal growth and self-realization. The process is first painful, then overwhelming, but ultimately freeing. In the final painting, the figure’s wings reach over the borders of the canvas, breaking previous boundaries and beginning to spread in flight. I set a dark figure on a vibrant, bright background to push the contrast and intensity of the piece.

  • Vulture March

    76.2 x 40.6 cm

    Acrylic on canvas

    This artwork was inspired by William T. Wiley’s Hinge, in both visuals and message. As a member of the California Funk movement, Wiley’s art aimed to address broader issues through individual artistic expression. This work is about finding oneself in a world in turmoil, focusing on the climate crisis. This turmoil is represented visually; the canvas is chaotic, with a rough Keeling curve sketched beside alchemical symbols of change and destruction, but ultimately promising the hope of rebirth.

  • 籠の中 / Kago no Naka

    7.5 x 10 cm

    Mixed media, linoleum cut and gel pen

    This work reuses the characters created in my previous artworks. The twins represent internal and external influences of a sense of self fighting for control. One is withdrawn, hiding behind masks, while the other has been pulling the strings and holds lives in her hands. Lyrics of a cryptic rhyme scrawl over the panels to tell their story: 籠の中の鳥はいついつ出やる/後ろの正面だあれ?

    The bird in the cage, when will it come out/Who is behind you now?

  • Avetheism / Psychoentomology

    47 x 55cm

    Mixed media

    Between these pieces the colors, visuals, and composition are inversed to form a complete diptych. One figure floats confidently in flowing clothes as opposed to the restricted, uniformed figure of the lower piece, and pulls the strings trapping them on the page. They are sinister despite the bright colors and angelic imagery, bearing a mocking expression. They are surrounded by birds, natural predators of the insects below.

  • To St. Sebastian

    21.6 x 28 cm

    Digital, Procreate

    This piece most directly addresses my theme, depicting the body as a point of suffering in the search for one’s identity. Inspired by classical paintings of the martyr St. Sebastian, I referenced imagery of his rescue by Irene of Rome while using medical visuals to focus on anatomy and harsh lighting. The skin is both sickly and vibrant to emphasise the body as both beautiful and grotesque. Whether the figure is coming from or undergoing a procedure is left up for the viewer's interpretation.

  • Viewers

    15 x 32 cm

    Linoleum print, acrylic paint on paper

    This triptych of prints are representative of different responses to the perception of oneself by others. Each animal reacts differently; the wolf’s unfocused eyes reflect frustration and rage, the vulture is a neutral but shrewd observer, and the fish actively tries to escape from view. Floating alongside each specimen is a watching eye, representative of a different point of view. The final color choices recall the colors of diaphonized specimens, and highlight unique details of each print.