Jaya's Artist Lookbook (2020)

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Reaching Out Medium: Collage of various papers and found photos from Time Magazine with acrylic paint on 2 wood panels Size: 2 wood panels both 25cm x 25cm Intention: I am passionate about politics, world history and gender equality. I choose to use a ‘pop art’ style to my piece as this movement is notorious for pushing political and social boundaries, which is essentially what I am trying to accomplish in this piece. This piece features headlines from various articles that comment on the political climate of the world today. The hand reaching out, symbolizes me reaching out for these topics in the hope of these political and social conflicts to be resolved.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Fair & Lovely Medium: Digital altered print on cardstock paper Size: 3 pictures all 30cm x 44.7cm Intention: ‘Fair & Lovely’ references a popular skin lightening cream popular in India.

The desire to be fair stems from discrimination surrounding the complexion of darker skin tones. As the pictures progress the white hand is slowly taking full possession of the women’s face, symbolizing the dominance and power this discrimination and colonized ideals of beauty have over Indian women. The orientation of the images is also horizontal to mimic the form of a bottle.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Stitched Medium: Watercolor and thread on watercolor paper Size: 11.5cm x 15cm Intention: This piece features a fluid depiction of flesh tones mounted on white paper which are connected by red thread. The use of flesh skin tones critiques the idea of colourism seen between women. The fluidity of the piece shows how we as women are essentially the same, no matter the colour of our skin. The thread represents how women should come together and repair the prejudice based on the colour of our skin (much like a stitch), after years of suppression based on the harsh realities of colourism.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Uncanny Valley Medium: Plexiglass, copper wire, wood, digital altered print on cardstock paper Size: 2, 43.18cm x 27.94 prints Intention: These plexiglass flowers featured are photographed in two different environments to capture how plastic and pollution can be seen anywhere. Uncanny Valley is the unsettling feeling humans have when digital images closely mimic and resemble humans. The flower is seen replacing the real elements in nature, giving an ‘uncanny valley’ effect. The use of plexiglass which elicits an irredentist glow to the sculpture gives it an awe-spiring look, while the plastic gives a horrifying feeling.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Ocean Pollution Medium: Acrylic Paint on canvas with gel medium and plastic straws Size: 35cm x 45cm Intention: This piece is an abstract depiction of land and water. I used a gel medium with acrylic paint to evoke ocean current around the edges to mimic a topographic map. The Canadian government is mitigating the effects of ocean pollution by the banning of plastic straws. To capture this, I pasted straws to the edge of the piece. This piece captures the optimism youth have towards these issues such as climate change.

While this is a small step, it is an important step in the right direction.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: 54 Medium: Collage of various papers and found photos, rhinestones, plexiglass with acrylic paint on canvas.

Size: 60cm x 45cm Intention: This piece captures the liveliness, freedom and ‘beautiful chaos’ of the club Studio 54 in the 1970s. I was inspired by a documentary that told the story of this space and how it was a haven for acceptance amidst the harsh realities of prejudice and discrimination against marginalized communities in the US. This piece features spraypainted plexiglass, which is a depiction of the main light fixture of the club and images of people attending this club found from different media outlets.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Diversity Medium: Acrylic Paint on canvas, cardboard and newspaper Size: 40cm x 30cm Intention: The piece celebrates diversity in an oppressive and constrictive society. I gained inspiration from Laura Owens’ piece which comments on female expression in a male-driven world. Much like Owens’, I used ambiguous shapes with newspapers to represent diversity since the ambiguous shapes are placed in columns which stresses the conceptual meaning of diversity in a constrictive society. The newspaper represents journalism and literature which are some of the ways people's voices are heard.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: THE WAGE GAP IS REAL Medium: Acrylic Paint on wood panel Size: 30cm x 40.5cm Intention: This piece depicts the opening theme sequence of the satirical sitcom ‘The Simpsons’. It features the character Bart repeatedly drawing on the whiteboard. While the nature of the text is an issue women fight for, I chose to feature Bart as it is predominantly men who repudiate this issue, and this ignorance is a major factor in its permissiveness today. I used a wood panel to get a smooth surface and acrylic paint to achieve solid colours to mimic a cartoon style.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Isolation Medium: Watercolour and acrylic paint on wood panel Size: 33cm x 22cm Intention: This piece discusses social isolation, based on my own personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to discuss the feeling of isolation, even when there may be family and friends around supporting you. This idea of a virus is conveyed through the ambiguous shapes, and these viral figures are distanced from one another representing this barrier of isolation.

The use of blue around the red shape is used to portray a barrier and the ‘coldness’ that can emerge from feeling alone.

Adaptation JAYA

Title: Monsoon Medium: Watercolor and found Images on cardstock Size: 36cm x 28.5 cm Intention: This piece features a depiction of a Monsoon flower placed on images of local issues/crises in Vancouver BC such as COVID-19, climate change, the controversial pipeline and the fentanyl crisis. I was inspired

by A. Ramachandran’s piece, The Monsoon Flowers, which celebrates women flourishing in society after injustice captured by the use of Monsoon Flowers which awake after a rainy season, symbolizing hope amidst decay. While these local issues are dire, it means a resolution must come.

Adaptation JAYA