Sarvenaz Anissi

BFA Painting

ARTIST STATEMENT: My multimedia work Limited Time is about the dilemma of living in an urban city, the exhaustingly fast paced lifestyle and overconsumption which takes away from inner peace and growth of each individual. I created this artwork examining the culture of consumerism, I have access, consume, use, and throw away more than I need while the true self is trapped away in the chaotic culture of consumption. This artwork has three elements which each represent a different part of a human as an individual in modern society. The work consists of one short animation, a sculpture of a human figure and a painting on the floor.

The painting is acrylic on vinyl located on the ground that connects to the feet of the sculpture, which represents a cast shadow. The sculpture has metal armature; metal is strong and symbolizes our ancestors’ skeleton which has developed and gotten stronger throughout history. I used dry trash (mostly plastic) as the flash to represent the mindless use of single used plastic/trash, and materialism. All the dry trash is connected through clear tape as bounding material. The sculpture is painted dripping black which represents the darkness of a shadow.

The animation is a simple, looping 2D video about the human life cycle. The video outlines an infant growing to a baby, to a child, then an adult, to an elderly person, and metamorphosing into natural organic elements such as trees, ocean waves, a bug, the wind, and a flower. Each element in the video is a representation of our true self which shows how strongly we are connected to the earth we live on. Trapped in time pinpoints what we might be going through as individuals of the latest years of The Cenozoic. Far from what we have been and closer to an uncertain future with a possible limited time ahead of us as human beings. I created this work as a reminder of the importance of reconnecting with nature and realizing how our physical body and mind are trapped in a wasteful cycle of consumption.