[artist statement: bliss or deception]

THOUGHTS LONG SLEEVE - BLISS OR DECEPTION BY LANDY HUANG

“MY PIECE AIMS TO CONVEY THE CYCLIC AND UNRELIABLE NATURE OF OUR THOUGHTS. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT OUR MINDS ARE A COMPLEX, UNRELIABLE PLACE; EVERYTHING WE SEE, HEAR, SMELL, TOUCH, TASTE, AND EXPERIENCE IS FILTERED AND CONSTRUCTED BY OUR OWN MINDS. ONE OF THE FRAMES IN THE PIECE DEPICTING A CAROUSEL AND A SINE GRAPH IS ABOUT THE UNCERTAINTY OF OUR THOUGHTS. A CAROUSEL BALANCES SO THAT THE CART IS ALWAYS PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. IF YOU WERE JUST LOOKING AT THE VIEW, YOU WOULD BE UNABLE TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHERE YOU BEGIN TO GO DOWN AND WHERE YOU BEGIN TO GO UP. YOU WOULD ONLY KNOW YOUR MAXIMUMS AND MINIMUMS AFTER YOU HAVE PASSED THEM.

SIMILARLY, OUR THOUGHTS CAN GO THROUGH CYCLES OF POSITIVITY AND NEGATIVITY, BUT IN THAT INSTANT, WE CAN NEVER BE SURE IF WE ARE THINKING TOO OPTIMISTICALLY, TOO PESSIMISTICALLY, OR REALISTICALLY. WE CAN NEVER BE SURE IF A LOW POINT IS THE LOWEST WE CAN GO AND THAT THINGS WILL START TO LOOK UP ONCE AGAIN, OR IF THE HIGH WE JUST EXPERIENCED WOULD BE THE LAST ONE IN A LONG TIME. WE ALL WANT TO BELIEVE THAT OUR THOUGHTS AND DECISIONS ARE THE TRUTH, BUT IN REALITY, OUR THOUGHTS ARE MERELY PERSPECTIVE. I FIND IT VERY INTERESTING HOW OUR PERSPECTIVE COMPLETELY CREATES THE WORLD WE EACH LIVE IN, HOW TWO PEOPLE CAN SEE THE WORLD SO DIFFERENTLY.

THE FRAME WITH THE PERSON CLOUD-GAZING UPON CLOUDS IS MEANT TO ILLUSTRATE THE TIMES WHERE WE FEEL CONTENT AND CONFIDENT, LIKE WE ARE AT OUR MAXIMUM. THE UNREALISTICNESS OF THE ILLUSTRATION IS MEANT TO CONVEY HOW SOMETIMES OUR POSITIVITY CAN BE A DECEPTIVE BLISS. TO ME, IT ALSO MEANS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE CAN’T BE SURE IF WE ARE BEING UNREALISTIC, WE CAN JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT OF COMPLETE BLISS. THE TWO FRAMES BELOW JUXTAPOSE THE ABOVE AND SHOW HOW WE CAN FEEL ABOVE THE CLOUDS IN ONE MOMENT AND HOPELESSLY LOST THE NEXT. I BELIEVE THAT THIS PERSPECTIVE OF NEGATIVITY CAN NEVER BE PERMANENT, AND THAT WE WILL ALWAYS EVENTUALLY FEEL CONFIDENT AND CONTENT AGAIN.

THOUGH IT SOUNDS CLICHE, THINGS WILL BRIGHTEN UP AND THE HORIZON WILL BE SEEN ONCE AGAIN. SOMETIMES THERE IS ALSO COMFORT IN THINKING THAT OUR NEGATIVITY IS A DECEPTION JUST LIKE HOW OUR POSITIVITY CAN BE A DECEPTION. THIS BELIEF THAT THINGS MAY NOT BE AS BAD AS THEY SEEM, AND THAT THERE IS A MINUSCULE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL IS WHAT PUSHES ME FORWARD WHEN I FEEL LOST AND HOPELESS. WE ALL CONSTANTLY SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR WORLD THROUGH THINKING, AND IT SEEMS LIKE SO MANY OF US AIM TO CREATE A STABLE, LINEAR PERSPECTIVE. BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT OUR THOUGHTS NATURALLY CYCLE THROUGH NEGATIVITY AND POSITIVITY AS WE TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME THROUGH LIFE. NO MATTER WHAT, WE KEEP GOING AND TRUST THAT WE GO IN CYCLES.”

 

 

[draft: bliss or deception]

 

 

[final artwork: bliss or deception]