Tessie Van Dyke

BFA Sculpture

Artist Website: tessievandyke.com

ARTIST STATEMENT: Euphoria is a funny thing. To yourself, it can feel like the most amazing experience. It feels intensely spiritual, cosmic, and never-ending. However, to the outside eye, it can appear horrific or pitiful. This feeling is what I wanted to capture in my performance. I unify the two sides of my work - textile art and performance - by creating a persona to represent what these intangible experiences are to me. I am inspired by masks crafted by peoples around the world and how important representing the face has been across cultures. Thematically, I hope my art can shed light onto the real experiences of people who are neurodivergent or have mental illness. As in Dada, I often use the absurd to disrupt the logic of the world and open minds to accepting new ideas. If I can shake people into listening, I will have achieved my goal.

Bliss - A Performance by Tessie Van Dyke

You are overwhelmed. You feel the entire universe is part of you. The moment is intensely spiritual, sublime, religious. Your senses blur with a dizziness that warms your soul. Time becomes irrelevant as you lie there in something beyond happiness. This performance was created to fulfill the requirements of GMU School of Art's AVT 497: Senior Project. The video was shot by Kyle Van Dyke.

Duration: 4:58