Tanya Villanueva’s Fiction, in which the artist examines images that catch her attention. These range from instantly likeable images she finds on the Internet to what she considers grand gestures like love, death, sex, and triumph. Inspired by the idea that images are alive because you want something from it and it wants something from you, Villanueva produced three works that are odes to imagery and its claim to being a live entity. “I made it palpable and true to its material, I made it dead and pretty, and I made it grand and holy like an apparition after death – a true transformative moment.” Then she asks, “Will these things endure? Will you be able to disengage from your notions of what’s a work of art and applaud and believe it for a while?”
“In a way I would want to share my story without telling it, somehow passing it on without affecting the receiver. Telling keeps things moving. And really, I’m telling my story here. I just glazed it over with gradiated backgrounds and special effects.”
Artist Statement
Surface Details and the Idea of Shallowness and the Deepest Innermost Feelings in Your Warm Muffin
(I copied and pasted the words and added a few bits and now its mine)
It is not in fashion to explicitly say what you mean and if it isn’t this neutered sensibility over anything it’s sometimes the opposite—in excess and deeply unfeeling. I find it hard to take anything into consideration for over more than a few minutes, and if anything does catch my attention, it is mostly because it’s pink, lovely.
A lot of images I like are mostly downloaded stuff and most of these have been shared, liked and reblogged many times over. I use them save them and keep them under file for future use. I like that they are mostly hand me downs or third hand and common. I like that they are instantly likeable at nice. Like a cute pet by your side, cuddly and non-threatening.
There are also big things and grand gestures that I want to tell exactly because of their grandness even if they are just common simple truths like love, death, sex, triumph. Who would dare paint those things and actually be considered, thought of, remembered? How important is it to endure? But how nice it is to endure.
What I like about theater (oh those musicals)is it gives you the leeway to disengage with your crappy notions of what reality is and you physically just sit back and be entertained by lovely music, gradiated hues of backgrounds, cakey faced people funny sad comedic timing and cold air conditioning. Many things happen at the same time plus the story keeps you arrested and wait for the punch (line.) You applaud at the end and you believe for a while. It’s all fun and alive.
How do you sustain that sense in a painting or a picture? You glance, scan, look into lovely details. Yes sometimes you read these things to be in line with what was it you’ve seen about again? Then you file it in your head, save it or keep it lingering there for a while. I’ve read somewhere that images are alive and that they are alive because you want something from it and it wants something from you. Those are lovely sentiments and are maybe true. So let’s test them.
I made 3 works that are odes to imagery and its claim to being a live entity. I made it palpable and true to its material- alive, I made it dead and pretty, and I made it grand and holy like an apparition after death- a true transformative moment. Will these things endure? Will you be able to disengage from your notions of what’s a work of art and applaud and believe it for a while?
I’m not out to make fun of or to be funny and serious at the same time. There’s no irony here, no insider’s wink. I know I’m in danger of losing you, reader, just now for using too much “I, me, me, me, emotions” to MY writing.
In a way I would want to share my story without telling it, somehow passing it on without affecting the receiver- to be more of a ghost than a fart. To be considered without being taken too seriously or lightly. Telling keeps things moving. And really, I’m telling my story here. I just glazed it over with gradiated backgrounds and special effects. If this is what it takes for someone to consider it, believe it for a while and make it more that just decorative, then ok.
If it doesn’t work, please let me know so I can pull out my understudy and have her gyrate in a corner and make bukaka.
Documentation
