Popsicles
Shriya S.
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As a collection, "Popsicles" is the description of the tangy, growing-up phase that awkwardly illustrates the contemporary teen. I approached the collection through the lens of how I view my childhood from the place I currently stand. "Popsicles" encapsulates the process of growing up as not becoming more than who we initially were, but instead as chiseling out who we are today from all that we consume around us, letting the rest melt away. This melting, this growing, and this change all morph into the bittersweet elegy that is “Fruit Juice Tears” which is the thesis statement for this work. From there, it made sense to write "Backyardia” as a tale of endless nostalgia told from the voice of my younger self. The final piece, “Shotgun” serves to juxtapose the previous work. It is written from my present self to my older sister. The work proposes a simple question. What happened to us? This question guided my process of creating the collection. Speaking from the heart, "Popsicles" is a giant, messy hug from ourselves where we stand to the children we once were. It is meant to be read aloud like a children's picture book and recited aloud and free, like Pop music on the radio.
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Artwork depicts experiences unique to oneself. However, we create not because we want our own perspective to be broadcasted, but because, through the exchange of art, we see the world through another, beautiful perspective. You see me and I see you. Creativity, to me, is those honest connections we make.
