KBK Artworks Scholarship

My art is deeply personal and shows my struggles as well as my ways of overcoming them. Whether the issues regard my mental health or systems of oppression, I offer the viewer to consider ways in which we can alter reality. I do this by blending the real world with the fantastical. I often make reference to historical artworks, especially those surrounding mythos and religion. I also combine traditional and digital media and work both in the 2-Dimensional and the 3-Dimensional. Through an exploration of the merging of fantasy and reality, I encourage my audience to create the change they wish to see in our mundane world. With my art, I am indirectly helping my community by opening conversations around stigmatized topics. My goal is for my practice to become a catalyst for change in the lives of others. In addition to creating works of art that are personal to me and my journey, I seek to become an educator in the arts. It is not just about me and my art; my desire is to enable future artists to incite positive change for generations ahead. My success is meaningless to me if the people around me are being left behind. Due to my limited resources, I feel that I struggle to make a more direct impact in my community. However, I am passionate about plans to involve others in collaborative projects so that we can uplift each other. My goal with this is to support diversity and inclusion in contemporary arts. When I am able, I make time to volunteer with or donate to causes that are important to me and sometimes referenced in my art. Some of the issues I am driven towards include the LGBTQ community, the Latinx community, reproductive rights, mental health awareness, and environmental conservation. The art piece I have submitted is a self portrait. It is a digital illustration that conveys turbulent emotions beneath a melancholy surface. In this portrait I have made myself a shadowy figure beneath an ocean. The dull glow of my eyes betrays the pain and despair I have lived through battling depression. Yet, it also represents a light inside that cannot be extinguished and is waiting for the time to shine. With this piece, I want others struggling with their mental health to know that they are not alone and that they do not have to hide their struggles.