Alyzee Sullens 

“What is your favorite artwork?”

Curatorial Rationale

 Through my body of work, from digital art pieces to clay sculptures, I aim to explore the theme of perspective and how it relates to one’s perception of the world. Many live their lives behind narrow-minded and unopened to the world surrounding them. I want to bring attention to this issue, and even spark change within my audience, as they re-examine their own lives in a new context. Blind to one’s own faults, it can be easy to pass through life thinking only in one way, but my work of art is here to change that. By inspiring self-reflection into one’s own life, I have to have a meaningful impact on my audience, and provide them with a new vision, a new outlook, and a new perspective.

     For most of my life, it has been about putting on a good face for the public, fitting neat into a perfect little box, only going so far as to scratch the surface. However, I want to accomplish the opposite, whether that’s through culturally recognizable symbols such as icebergs, the issues of wealth disparity, and more. My body of work tackles numerous issues within society, aiming to show both sides of many of these conflicts. For example, my third artwork “Stuck in Time” tells the story of a victim of domestic abuse. She experienced a traumatic event in which her father broke her window, before abandoning her and her mother to care for themselves. And despite the passage of time from this event, she still sees the fall it happened when she looks outside, instead of the spring in which she is currently living. Prevalent issues such as these in society are something that is not often enough discussed, and needs to be addressed. Most of the works come from my personal experiences, whether that be my own issues with my dad, an anthropology class in which we discussed Freud’s iceberg theory, or the passing of an actor I very much liked. Using these to reveal hidden truths has motivated me to complete this body of work so as to fully expose the public to them, and bring understanding to these issues.

     Creating a diverse range of artworks that most people will hopefully be able to connect with was much of the goal of my exhibition. Even if someone could find but one piece, I would still succeed in having an impact on them, whether that is just during the art show or staying with them for life. By making more relatable artworks, I hoped to develop a relationship between every member of the audience and myself, with my artworks as our connection. I deliberately arranged my artworks in the most balanced way possible to create a certain flow, a smooth transition between them where the audience could both take time to ponder each one and take that understanding into the following artwork. In making the body of work easy to follow visually, I aimed to make the message clearer to all audiences as well. Though they all may have different story lines, color schemes, and mediums, they all contain similar messages, those of perspectives that are essential to a well-rounded person. I intend to change my audience, even just in the slightest way, by causing them to reconsider how they may be living and viewing life, not only their own but others as well. If so much as one person comes out to be more well-rounded and understanding as a result of my artworks, then it all will have achieved its purpose. While an artful and aesthetically pleasing display, my exhibition is more informative than anything, attempting to educate an increasingly blind audience.

Alyzee’s Art Work

  • The Facade

    Acrylic Paint on Clay

    11.5 cm x 12.75 cm

    Inspired by wanting to take a deeper look at the perspective one presents to the world versus the reality, I created the ideal cottage by the front, but it reveals itself to be a crumbling mess inside. I’ve always liked designing and decorating houses so this piece delved further into that passion as well. Taking from my inspiration, I also explored my passion for nature, with the overgrown vines.

  • An Opportunist's View

    Acrylic on Canvas and Construction Paper

    24.5 cm x 19.5 cm

    Taking from my own imagination instead of an inspirational artwork, I knew right from the beginning of what I wanted to make. My goal was to create a contrast between two scenes that highlights the difference there can be between perspectives, however, I wanted it to be one that was not immediately obvious. In this, the blurry city represents the blur of prospects and choices versus the focused view of an opportunist.

  • Another Line on the Wall

    Digital Art Using Procreate

    1668 x 2388 px

    This piece was inspired by recent trends defining who people are. Terms such as “downtown girl” or “vanilla girl” have come into increasing usage and I wanted to explore how one can be caught in a specific standard or stereotype despite being a different person. The fish-eye lense perspective I chose lends itself to both the downtown girl theming and an uncommon angle used in art, which physically explores my theme of perspective.

  • Hidden Depths

    Acrylic Paint on

    Air Dry Clay and Canvas

    33.02 x 33.02 cm

    Drawing from Sigmund Freud's theories of only seeing ¨the tip of the iceberg¨, I wanted to create a piece that communicated this idea: there is a depth to everything that we often ignore and that leaves us blind to what is around us. I made the “tip of the icebergs” clay so they would pop out as real icebergs do, while the rest descends hidden into the darkness.

  • Stuck in Time

    Watercolor on Watercolor Paper

    27.94 cm x 24.13 cm

    Inspired by René Magritte, I created this piece in which despite the changing seasons, a girl is stuck. She can't help but remember the fall when her father broke the window in a fit of rage, before leaving her and her mother alone. I showed time’s passage through the foreground theme of spring, meanwhile the scene outside is of fall. She is seeing two different scenes through this window, one of the past and one of the present.

  • The After-Life of Fame

    Glaze paint on Clay with Wax Wick Candles

    10.16 x 10.8 cm

    Inspired by the recent death of Matthew Perry, a famous actor from Friends, due to drugs, I wanted to delve into the difference between an actor’s life as a star, in the prime of their lives, and the aftermath of their fame. This will be represented by the just lit candle, the famous actor, versus the melted down, dying fire candle, which shows life after fame. The cycle of the painted flowers from seed to wilted also represents how short fame can be and then one is left with nothing.

  • The Luxury of a Mess

    Acrylic Paint on Wood

    45.72 x 45.72 x 2.54 cm

    Through a combination of luxury, expensive goods made only for “higher-class” citizens and regular, everyday items, this piece commentates on the disparity between the upper and lower classes. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” helped to inspire this piece. It also comments on how it is a luxury in and of itself to create a mess you don’t have to clean, or even worry about.

  • Two Sides of the World

    Construction and Magazine

    Paper with Glue

    40.64 x 30.48 cm

    Inspired by Veronica Green’s “Launch -Little Boy Looking at a Full Moon”, I wanted to create a piece that represents two lovers looking at the same moon but from two opposite sides of the world. They may have different perspectives of the moon and be in different places but it remains the same for them both, a constant of their love despite being so far apart.