Pacific Coast
Spotlight Artist
Ari Salka
Pacific Coast
Artist Statement
I paint self-portraits of my trans body, representing current and
past selves. I transcend a singular experience into cycles of selfrepresentation.
In painting these bodies, I explore a sense of
freedom by creating a personal iconography. My imagery depicts
bodies constantly shifting, through rebirths, enmeshments, while
also differentiating themselves from one another. Ghosts from the
past emerge from earthly forms, signifying dysphoric rebirth and
resurrection. The presence of sutures binds fragility and strength.
The self is oftentimes lost in translation, shifting in and out of
differentiation from oneself to another version of self. I combine
a multiplicity of portraits, which allows me to deconstruct and
discover new depictions of the self and others. Through repetition,
expansiveness, and reclusiveness, my work conflates distinctions
between celebration and dismay.
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