Maia Bleile

“What is your favorite artwork?”

Curatorial Rationale

This exhibition is an exploration of the struggles and hardships many people go through and a representation of the journeys they are prompted to take because of these struggles. Each of my pieces depicts a different labor caused by our society, from subjects as complex as the jealousy and resentment caused by social media to the simple endeavor of a flower attempting to sprout in the middle of a city. The goal of this exhibition is to bring to light the parts of life that are often ignored due to a preference to focus on the more uplifting aspects of society. In the presentation of these pieces, I wanted to give the impression of falling into a deep, dark pit. To this effect, I ordered my artworks with the more well-known and frequently discussed topics on the right side, so that they will likely be the first to be seen. As the viewer progresses through the exhibition, they will come across the more obscure topics, though they are even more real for how little they are discussed. The hope is that this format will encourage more of the audience to view the entire exhibition by introducing them through topics they know and feel comfortable with before moving onto more difficult or upsetting topics.

When I first started creating my exhibition, my selected theme was ‘Journeys’, meant to reflect the many personal and mental evolutions people go through in life. However, as I researched and created artworks related to my theme, I realized the sheer number of these experiences that were driven by a struggle against some larger force. This discovery drove me to change my theme, focusing more on the yearning and discomfort behind the journeys I had been exploring previously. One of my main struggles when creating this body of work was in the attempt to depict situations or problems I myself have not personally experienced. While many of the pieces depict struggles I myself have gone through, such as dissociation, others represent fears and worries I have not had myself. In order to not inaccurately portray the experiences of others, which would be very insensitive, I found that taking a symbolic approach to the artworks allows most readers to find something they resonate with and alleviates the need to perfectly represent the details of a situation.

Even with those difficulties, these selections are the strongest out of all those I have created because they were the culmination of various studies into assorted techniques and compositions. For each piece, I would first research the media and techniques I intended to use before spending time practicing with the chosen media. I would continue these practices until I was confident in my ability to reproduce them on the final piece, meaning these pieces are the best of all those I have made in terms of technical and conceptual qualities. These projects were made using a variety of mediums, from digital art to mixed media and paper quilling. I did this because I wanted my selection of media to be as diverse as my viewers, so that everyone could find something that they could relate to in my exhibit.

Maia’s Artwork

  • A Butterfly's Journey

    Acrylic on Canvas Panel

    16 x 10 cm (x3)

    This art piece is a triptych which depicts the journey that monarch butterflies take over their lives. A triadic color scheme is used overall, with each canvas using only one color with the others reserved for highlights. This piece is symmetrical overall in order to show the cyclical nature of the butterfly’s journey. The butterfly migration lasts over the life cycle of multiple monarchs, with each generation dedicating their lives to this long journey in a struggle to reach the destination

  • Everbody's Watching

    Linoleum Print

    9 x 16 cm

    This print represents social anxiety, with two intertwining tentacles of thought. The red tentacle is the fear that a person is being watched, and is therefore covered in eyes. In contrast, the white side of the spiral shows a clearness of thought caused when there is no anxiety present.

  • Hidden Treasure

    Acrylic Paint, Clay

    10 x 10 x 10 cm

    This lantern is shaped like a piece of earth pulled out of the earth's core, and is covered in gems. A candle can be placed within to illuminate the surrounding area, making this lantern a light in the darkness. The light emitted from this lantern creates shapes on the walls because of the cutouts on the lid, and the name Hidden Treasure indicates that struggles are not without their reward.

  • How We Cope

    Digital Photography

    40 x 40 cm

    3/12/25

    This photography study represents the four fear responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. It impresses the raw emotion felt by a person in this state and uses the color red to symbolize the person’s struggles, representing blood and control. A person will typically display one or more of these responses when faced with struggles or challenges outside of their control, making this photo series applicable to any viewer.

  • In the Depth of the Earth

    Glaze, Clay, Projector Sheets

    14 x 8 x 8 cm

    This lantern was created to appear like a gem pulled from the center of the earth. The abstract patterns on its surface mimic the irregularity of nature, and it comes with two clear inserts meant to change the color of light emitted to red or blue. This lantern is the product of the great pressure under the surface of the earth, and is proof that great struggles are not without their reward.

  • Possibility

    Multimedia with paper, cardboard, acrylic, and glue

    October 2024

    This piece explores all of the choices a person can make in their life, and the many possible alternatives which are created every time a person makes a choice. These choices become alternate universes and are shown by the spirals and fractals in this piece. In the end, though a person may go through many difficult experiences and strive to reach their desired end, there is only one path to their exact perfect ending, as shown by the sole white path leading off of the fractal.

  • Realm of Discordance

    Mixed Media (Acrylic Paint, Paper, Watercolor Marker)

    25 x 55 cm

    This piece depicts a chaotic and disconnected scene, where each piece doesn’t fit with the rest. The perspective of the work pulls the reader in and makes them a part of the piece, while also mimicking a video game-like style. The building represents the viewer’s life, which they are trying to build up even with an unfinished scaffolding and everything falling apart around them. The toolbar on the bottom contains the brick needed to complete the tower along with easier options like sleep.

  • Through A Crack In The Earth

    Acrylic on Canvas

    23 x 30 cm

    This artwork illustrates the struggles of a flower growing in the middle of a city, surrounded by concrete towers that allow little light through. It has buildings towering over it, in front of a backdrop of a smoggy and black sky. The distorted viewpoint contributes to the feeling that the viewer is some small creature, and the dark and gloomy background contrasts strongly with the glowing purple flower

  • Two Sides of Hell

    Digital Art

    20 x 20 cm

    Two Sides of Hell embodies the extreme but opposite emotions people can feel while still wearing a mask saying “I’m fine”. The figures emerging from the head represent the real emotions hidden behind the smiling, doll-like mask.

  • Why Do We Do This To Ourselves

    Digital Art

    20 x 20 cm

    This artwork conveys how fake the internet and social media is, only showing the best of people’s lives. It shows the everyday person behind the screen, who becomes overloaded and depressed from the constant comparison with their own life.