Art Ed 252: Artist Statement

I’ve chosen to explore the concept of identity for my big idea. Identity is important to me because I think it’s something that no one can escape.  Who we are is something we constantly deal with even if it’s not consciously.  I often think about who I am as a person and how others perceive me.

For my midterm diptych I plan to apply the theme of good versus evil within the self.  An episode titled “The Enemy Within” from Star Trek The Original Series has inspired me. In the episode Kirk is split into two copies when the transporter malfunctions.  One Kirk is very aggressive and overly uncivilized; he’s overly violent, sexually forceful and obsessed with obtaining control of the ship.  The other copy is very polite and friendly, but he also has no drive and is ultimately weak. At the conclusion it is discovered that neither half of Kirk can operate without the other, each piece works in accordance to strengthen his character.  Without the seemingly evil side Kirk would have no aggressive drive and amount to nothing, and without his good side his evil side would overwhelm him and make him a madman. 

For my diptych I plan to have one side be good and the other evil. Both will display images of my face, but each will be quite different.  I will use hot and cold color schemes and images of disaster and tranquility to evoke my message.

A trailer for "The Enemy Within"

Full episode of "The Enemy Within"