Poly Ignacio
Chapman University

Art statement:

Throughout the body of my work, I wanted to explore a bold juxtaposition between unaltered human emotions and romanticizations of life behind rose-colored “glasses.” Combining portrayals and interpretations of mental illness with a rose-tinted filter, I aim to expose the obscurity and social stigma surrounding mental health illnesses. My sustained investigation primarily expands on dark vulnerabilities, exemplifying my inquiry through visual metaphors, ordinary household objects, and medical accessories. I experimented with grotesque portraiture, testing various poses and photo editing techniques such as repetition and compositing to create intriguing compositions to enforce my guiding theme. Using distortion, varying saturations, and a limited color palette to portray different ‘skewed’ perspectives: dependence on prescription medication and the effects of dissociation.