Look/Don't Look at Me
Body, Me and Sea
Dialogues Body and Sea (inner images revealed)
Julia C R Gray
It is a personal struggle whether to reveal or hide the images I am compelled to create. Regarding memory, we carry a lifetime of recollection and experience within us, influencing every aspect of our lives, yet it is hidden away where no one can actually see it. The duplexity of hidden memory and collective experience is contemplated through the multi-layered process fabricating my ceramic torsos. The texture and holes give the viewer superficial visual access within the body structure, while the narrative is hidden on the inner surfaces of the six columns that make up each torso. The hidden painted images are inspired by historical art, current events and the ocean, themes that shape my memory and experience. Installed inches apart, it is an effort for the viewer to see the imagery rendered on the column’s inner surfaces, creating a sensation bordering on voyeurism. Education: San Francisco Art institute, BFA 2014. Study Abroad Argentina. Selected exhibitions: American Museum of Ceramics, Pomona, CA; San Francisco Art Institute, CA; the Women's Museum of California, San Diego, CA; California State University Dominguez Hills, Los Angeles, CA; Kruglek Gallery, Mira Costa College, Oceanside, CA. San Diego Natural History Museum; Oceanside Museum of Art, William D. Cannon Art Gallery, Carlsbad, CA. Grants received: San Francisco Art Institute $20,000 Portfolio Grant, Dean’s Grant; Davis Projects for Peace $10,000 grant (Bali Project: Art and Plastic Recycle).
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