2 posts tagged “nancy dicianni”
Nancy DiCianni
Nancy DiCianni
Filipino American Arts- Worlds in Collision
Artist Statement- Project 2
28 March 2007
The Path
This piece I simply titled “The Path,” is a visual representation of the different alternatives we face in life. Specifically, my work reflects the life changing decision I made to transfer schools, leave all of my closest friends and family behind, and move to the other side of the country.
Like a menu of dinner specials, this 3 part piece is symbolic of my life’s trajectory. The first part is a pencil and pastel self portrait juxtaposed with various options conveyed by different colored pathways. The rather self explanatory phases I utilize are all part and parcel of my personal course. “The straight and narrow” represents the path on which I was steadily gliding along, but decided to veer away from. “Alone” conveys the emotion I felt in making this arduous choice.
The second part, on the opposite side, is a color photograph I took of the golden gate bridge from a crouching position on baker beach. Here I utilize the dichotomy of the dual meanings behind the iconic structure. On the one hand, it is the quintessential symbol of San Francisco, and on the other hand, the infrastructure is a means of transportation from one place to another. It is also important to note that this was one of the first photos I took upon my arrival to my new home.
The third part, though I did not intend it to be view, is the blank and barren inside, which was left so intentionally. I did this to express the notion that I am a work in progress, and my pages have not yet been filled. It symbolizes what I’ve yet to experience. The phrase included on the inside inquires, how did you get here and where are you going? These are questions that I am still pondering in a rhetorical self examination of the path I am on.
Nancy DiCianni
From A Place of Unknowing
Assumption: deception in the unknown
I wanted to express this disconnected, fragmented and unknowing sense that I felt in the sprit of the Philippines, and Filipinos, and to do so in a rhetorical visual juxtaposition of binary themes that are ubiquitous in our culture.
My mixed media piece is the reflection of an outsider. It speaks of the disjointed and unsubstantiated stereotypes that we amalgamate into our lives by the powers of institutional hierarchies. It is the play of faces out of context, I want for an audience to reflect on why these women are represented out of their natural environment, and what that says about what an “outsider” believes, or understands.
Here I have tried to visually compare opposing themes. This is the juxtaposition of assumed notions with the concept of time (present and past). It displays binary opposites literally and figuratively; such as black vs. white, change vs. tradition, future vs. past, misconceptions vs. truth.
Coming from a place of unknowing, I was able to challenge what I thought, and question what I do believe, all the while making no assumptions about any one, yet trying to understand that which I am becoming more familiar with, through projects like this.