Identity Entangled
Kira Libby R.
Water soluble oils
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This portrait represents the duality of my cultural identity and my experience of finding a balance between them. Although I am fully Chinese, and I identify as such, my family is not, and I wanted to express the confusion of navigating the world through the eyes of one culture, while being perceived as another. The moody expression of my subject shows the unstable feelings of being thrust between cultures, while the contrasting light sources represent both the opposing, and often fundamentally different, values, traditions, and perspectives of each heritage, and also their influences on my daily life, including both the connections and happy memories I have made, as well as the more difficult moments of doubt and feelings of isolation. Finally, I chose to use a cool-toned color palette on top of a fiery red underpainting in order to portray both my inherent Chinese heritage, and also my complete Americanness. The warmer light illustrates how I have committed myself to learning more about my birth country, and how I am integrating that into my life in America.
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Creativity is the ability to take one's experiences, perspectives, and values and express them in a way that is comprehensible but also somewhat enigmatic to others. Creativity allows us to share emotions and can be used to send a message to those around us. Creativity is one's individuality.
