About

    Beneath the Mask is a collection of eight different artworks from eight different artists that mainly focus on a key aspect of their identity. Identity is a rather complicated term to understand since it has so many subcategories. That is when I got the idea of creating this exhibition to explore what makes different artists who they are and what is the main distinguishing feature of their identity. In today's society, there are a great number of people who struggle with their identity. Whether it be that someone is Multiracial, a member of the LGBTQ community, an illegal immigrant, a marginalized group, etc. People often struggle to accept who they are. The main focus of this exhibition is to explore how artists express their identity and, overall, how they learn to accept it. Throughout my life, I have struggled to come to terms with my identity. At a young age, I migrated to the United States and was categorized as an immigrant. I then had to learn a different language, and I struggled because of who I was. As time went on and I became bilingual, I started to dislike how I looked, labeling myself as fat. As I kept improving and adding more categories and labels to my identity, I learned that this was a never-ending cycle. Even though I could change a few things about myself, I could not change my identity. That is when I realized that it is important to embrace our flaws and deal with them. Our characteristics are what make us who we are, and I came to the conclusion that in order to be happy with yourself, you need to embrace your identity. Through this art exhibition, I hope that whoever admires the eight different artworks, I hope that they can reflect upon their selves and ask what makes them who they are. What is their main feature? I hope that after they learn what that is, they can learn to love that part of themselves and use it to their advantage.
   The first artist in the exhibition is none other than Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo and I go way back, we share the same race as we are both Mexicans, although she was mixed with some European blood. Frida Kahlo was a staple artist for me growing up, mainly because she was everywhere since she is adored by most Mexicans, and because her eyebrows were big. When I looked through the galleries of her artworks, I found multiple self-portraits that practically go hand in hand with my topic of identity, so she was a perfect option.
   The second artist in the exhibition is Cindy Sherman. For some reason, it just felt right to include her work. She mainly focused on creating black and white photographs that would represent different personas of herself. I think that she was a wonderful addition to the roster because most of her photographs were self-portraits, meaning that it was easy to pair them up with the theme of identity. In addition, her work touched other controversial topics that made her an interesting artist to explore.

   The third artist in the exhibition is David Hockey. If I am being completely honest, I had not heard of this artist before researching for this exhibition; however, I was not aware that I had found yet another great match for my theme. Most of Hockey’s work revolves around the idea of his sexual orientation. As a gay man, Hockey experienced all kinds of things and all of those feelings that he had resulted in his piece that I chose for the exhibition.
   The fourth artist in the exhibition is Kehinde Wiley. I remember all the way back in high school that there was some sort of controversy revolving around this artist because he was breaking the molds. Instead of portraying a powerful figure as someone with unlimited power and intimidating, he decided to paint the president in a more human-like way, or like an actual portrait. I love the way that this artist thinks outside of the box and his originality, as well as the fact that he likes to represent underrepresented groups. 
   The fifth artist in the exhibition is Barbara Kruger. Surprisingly, I had never heard of this artist before doing research for this exhibition. From the moment that I saw her artwork and how it criticized consumerism, I was sold on the idea of incorporating her work into the exhibition. Not only that, but her medium of art is rather interesting, which helped to add diversity to the exhibition. I also liked the philosophical messages that most of her works had, such as the one that I chose to present in the exhibition.
   The sixth artist in the exhibition is none other than I. Although I do not consider myself a photographer who focuses on themes like this one. Last semester, I took a class where I created a series of fine art photographs that represented a key aspect of my identity, my insecurities. This coincidence allowed me to introduce my work into the exhibition, and it fits perfectly with the theme. I am personally proud of the end result of these photographs, and I believe that the composition is well executed.
   The seventh artist of the exhibition is Ai Weiwei. This was another unknown artist that I had the pleasure of discovering while researching different artists. What I liked the most about this artist was the medium and how the people could interact with his artwork. Ultimately, his piece closely follows the theme of identity, so it was yet another perfect fit for the exhibition. I also have to mention that I especially cannot fathom how long it took him to prepare for his artwork that I chose to present in the exhibition.
   As for the last artist of the exhibition, I chose Zanele Muholi. I personally really enjoy her work and really appreciate what she does since she was introduced to me in this class. I believe that representing a super marginalized group such as the queer African American community is commendable and I have nothing but respect for her. Most of her pieces worked perfectly for my exhibition, but I ultimately decided on one that I believed had the deepest meaning and symbolism behind it.