The Morning Paper

Kai K.

Acrylic paint

• Artist Statement

  As a kid, I admired my mature and knowledgeable parents, who read the paper before the start of their day. Now that I read it myself, I realize that this was a childish romanticization. Reading about countless tragedies leaves me upset and unsettled before my day even begins. I read information I do not know how to process or act upon. The news feels urgent, but also distanced from my sheltered life. This painting demonstrates two sides of myself: one casually reading the paper in lounge clothes and one curled inward, exposed and vulnerable in undergarments. Is reading the newspaper a mature and noble act, or something that desensitizes us and makes us more callous to tragedy? The juxtaposition of these two sides shows my desire to have a balance: to understand the pain of the world but not drown in it.

• Creative Statement

  Creativity means finding the different ways of expressing yourself through art, literature, music, conversation, and ideas. It means trying out new things, even if it is uncomfortable and not being scared to wander into the unknown.