Sonia Elmejjad

BFA Painting with a Minor in Clinical Psychology

ARTIST STATEMENT: These paintings express how demons and spirits influence our thoughts and emotions. I grew up with no real solid conception of spirituality and religion, so I found it jarring when I came across a spirit for the first time. I have had paranormal experiences such as having a friend getting possessed by a demon and seeing otherworldly entities that I never thought existed.

I began practicing Korean Daoism 12 years ago and I have used it as a source of inspiration for my art and music. Through my paintings, I am exploring the relationship between the spiritual and physical world and how it affects one another. In Korean Daoism as well as other eastern spiritual practices like Shintoism and Hinduism they mention the existence of spirits and how their energy influences people in everyday life. Oftentimes in the west we speak about inner demons and describe people with passion as having spirit. The root of all of these phrases and words come from a metaphysical source. We subconsciously acknowledge the existence of a spiritual world without consciously knowing or understanding the existence of it. How we feel, what we think and the situations we go through are examples of the type of vibrations and energy we carry. Many times we do not understand the reason we go through certain situations and how they affect us on a day to day life, but with patience and willingness to learn about how energy can change and influence our world we can potentially change ourselves for the better.