February, 2004

Diane Arrieta - Artist Statement for “Resurrection”

All of the pieces in my current exhibition "Resurrection" speak about inner spirit, inner peace, and striving for a better life. Many people go through the motions of life on "automatic" without stopping to enjoy their lives.
I am inspired by Buddhist and tribal philosophies. Black birds, which are believed by some tribes to carry a person's soul to the next life, are a recurrent theme in my work. When people view my work, I hope that it will help them to delve into their inner psyche to try and resolve any issues that they may be struggling with. Often it is the resentments that hide in the shadows of our emotions that block the light of our spirit from shining.

In creating my work, I often use found items from nature, or natural materials, paper and fabrics to emphasize the grounding of our spirits to our mother, the Earth. The text written and painted on the work reinforces my thought process and message.

The title "Resurrection" is very personal to me, as I feel that I have resurrected myself. The last few years have been filled with monumental events. I have experienced the tragic deaths of three friends, my father's debilitating stroke, and extreme personal challenges to my work. From these trials, I have struggled to become a stronger person and have experienced such personal growth, that I feel like I have been resurrected. The positive side of this experience is that my emotions poured into my artwork. Viewers of the show have told me that the work has affected them profoundly and has forced them to examine their own lives.

The "Shroud Series" is a group of six meditating figures, who, devoid of ego, concentrate on virtues that guide one to inner peace and balance. Living without fear, envy, anger, false ego, and false realities leads to inner balance. The writing on the headpiece is Sanskrit, which I chose because it is an ancient language and people have been trying to understand how to live a better life since the beginning of humankind.

In the exhibit, several pieces are in a series of six. According to Cirlot in A Dictionary of Symbols, "Six is symbolic of ambivalence and equilibrium; six comprises the union of the two triangles of fire and water and hence signifies the human soul. Six also corresponds to the cessation of movement." Therefore, I believe that the number six relates to the inaction of the Tao.

In Buddhist philosophy - "The Way," I have discovered that I need to be like water, flow around my problems, and be flexible enough to allow problems to resolve themselves. Wrestling with problems is often less effective than inaction, as the universe has a way of working things out for the positive.

Inner balance without vice is a critical component of the exhibition. Several pieces are posed to make people ask the question of what may be blocking them from spiritual wholeness. For instance, two groups of six "Hens" have yellow clay feet and are topped with feather-covered, egg-like heads. These abstracted versions symbolize gossips standing around clucking like a bunch of hens, finding fault with others.

"Transparent" is a series of six lavender aluminum-screen dresses which are suspended in air, symbolizing the ability to see through people who have ulterior motives and hidden agendas.
The piece "Reincarnation" symbolizes a person is shedding her skin and reinventing herself. I believe people go through several “reincarnations” during their lifetime. Through change and pain, we grow and become stronger, plodding along the path to enlightenment.

"Pajaro Loco," literally translated as "Crazy Bird," is a bird/human creature clothed in a straight-jacket, standing in a crucifix position. There is a fine line between creativity and insanity. Sometimes I think I cross that line as I am passionately creating, but fortunately I always step back across after working through whatever took me there with my artwork. This roller coaster of emotions is what makes being an artist exciting, scary, frustrating and exhausting.

Some say it is a curse being an artist - a person who feels so deeply, but to me the alternative of being mediocre is unthinkable.

(images forthcoming)