“WHERE I’M FROM”
Ayiana Viviana Artist Statement
When Jonene invited me to exhibit at No Name Gallery with the theme of “Where I’m From,” I thought of work that I already had that might fit this theme. A few pieces came to mind, including the piece I was working to complete when I received the invitation, titled “Higher for Hire.” That piece is in the show almost as a prophetic tail end to where I hope to be headed. Healing through art. It’s a look forward, if you will.
But where I’m from… that’s a look back. I started brainstorming the new work I’d create for this show and one evening, I remembered my old neighbor Angel. He came to me in the wisp of a quickly passing thought and all of a sudden, a fresh idea was born. I imagined all new pieces, made in an almost portrait like style with my neurographic lines. I saw bright, bold, and colorful art that could not only represent people in the neighborhood I grew up in, but also represent the experiences I had in it. Like Angel, the one who inspired these pieces, being killed at 17 for being a corner boy on Mischief Night one year. There’s also “The Chaos of Surviving,” meant to be a depiction of how complicated it can be to find and enjoy beauty in your environment, when you’re always focused on survival.
These neon bright pieces are inspired by the graffiti and street art I grew up seeing in my neighborhood. There were always RIP graffiti murals popping up everywhere in the 90’s. One of these pieces tells the story of Modesto. A family friend who had AIDS and died quite suddenly from it. Also in the 90’s. I’m not sure what Modesto’s story was and he’s not here to tell it so I won’t pretend to know and speak on his behalf. I grew up in these Badlandz but was sheltered some by my overtly religious parents. Modesto, according to the story I heard as a child, was a Christian converted gay man. I wonder now what his story would be and what he would say about his own life. Would he feel seen and able to be who he was without having to hide behind a mask?
This Series is called: “3rd and Indy.”
Each piece in this series not only has a story, but is also a part of my lived experience and memories. A remembrance of those who were but no longer are. These realities are as much a part of me, as poverty is for a lot of people who grow up brown, black, or economically disadvantaged and in impoverished communities. These pieces show where I’m from but being able to show them in an economically flourishing environment in the same city, feels like paying homage to where I’m from and well, that’s what this show is all about, in one way or another. Where we are from. I honor what has brought me here. All of it, the good and the bad.
On the canvas, leave your own word, marking, or artistic interpretation of what “Where I’m From” means to you.
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