Stella Trent

Expressions of Identity

Since I have started making art, it has always been about self-expression, whether there was an aesthetic or character I wanted to express as a goal for myself or a political aim I wanted to polarize my audience with. In my show, I hope to explore the various ways self-expression can happen through art, with my own self-expression of my politics, and personal identity. I also dabble in the character of Garfield, the cartoon cat drawn by Jim Davis. As a queer person, I have often felt both strongly about politics while also struggling to find a personal identity that fits, which informs a lot of my work.

I mostly have stuck to painting, printmaking, and drawing, although I have included a sculpture. I especially have fallen in love with printmaking since my freshman year because of how I see it as an effective means to communicate commodification, as it is the most effective medium for mass production. I hope my selection of works is able to communicate the high energy way that I often feel, and my passion for politics as well as the aesthetic value and flexibility of different images and forms. The works I selected for the exhibit are mainly chosen through what I feel I had the most success at conveying my intent with, like with my main series of pieces, Garfie in Love I was very much going for a colorful, playful, almost hypnotizing portrayal of Garfield with a very clear collage-like texture, as well as the ink texture used in the relief print. This style is often the way I feel I express myself best, although in relation to works like We Tortured Some Folks, I used cleaner lines and drew instead of printed to communicate the solidity and plainness of the mood that the subject of the work is meant to convey.

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I aim to make my exhibit space feel like the ideal living space I would have, being messy and imperfect with dark, yet lively undertones. I hope that the relief print collages entitled Garfie in Love will catch the viewer's eye first, being placed on a freestanding wall; and also that the graffiti-covered walls and small details will invite them into my space to view the concepts that I feel passionate about in more detail, and how I make sense of them will be communicated well.