visual art
2016 // "Saving Benevolence" Artist Statement
I’ve heard this quote that, “you can control a generation by its ear.” I found it so interesting because today’s music and media heavily influences our society. Whether it be style or politics, many of us revere artists so much that we might start to believe the same. So I wanted to imagine a world where the only artists there were are embodiments of the seven deadly sins Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Envy, Lust, and Pride. To me, this mirrors some of the music from every genre we listen to. Hyper masculine, hyper-sexualized, and the cliché focus on money are rife within a lot the lyrics currently.
The concentration also follows a love story. There is this battle between good, Benevolence, and evil, The Evil Entity. Benevolence loses and The Evil Entity puts his plan into effect. He creates this world where everyone is forced to listen to music from six artists. The protagonist, Patience, finds an underground night club where she falls in love with a singer who doesn’t sing about mainstream ideas. He is taken by The Evil Entity and turned into the seventh sin, Pride. She goes on a journey to find him and release him of this curse so she has to go through all sins. Through Patience defeating all of the sins, Benevolence resurrects and saves humanity, and Patience is reunited with her love.
DEQUADRAY.ART
2015 // "The Child's Imagination/ Nostalgia" Artist Statement
I am lucky and proud to say that I am an uncle of nine and counting. As an uncle, I get to watch my nieces and nephews play and experience pure freedom. As a child, your innocence allows your imagination to create different worlds and realities. I wanted to create pieces that depicted certain ideas that we had when we were children. From our depth perception to our senses, everything was heightened at its peak. For example, when we were on top of a slide we felt like we were on top of the world. When we jumped from pillow to pillow on the floor, we made sure we didn't touch the floor because it was lava. I feel that as adults we still have the potential to imagine the same way we did as children and that is when we feel our most invincible.
Commissioned Work & original pieces
