ARTIST STATEMENT
'The Trinity' is a series of three paintings that are inspired by the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity, specifically the concept of God taking form in three different but unified beings, and each individual painting focuses on one of these three concepts. The artwork contains a combination of religious symbols with contemporary imagery. Overall, the message of this artwork is that it's important not to criticise religion or Christianity, but to highlight the issue of religious trauma on young people, specifically, the impact that a strict religious upbringing may have on the mental health of young LGBTQ+ people.
ARTWORK PROCESS
This artwork was created after researching Christian iconography found in historical artworks from the Byzantine era. I found that this era of eastern orthodox Christian art was rich in religious iconography. I was also inspired by Christian angelology and the different depictions of angels, finding creatures like seraphim to be disturbing yet an interesting representation of the fear of the divine and the unknowing nature of religion. I used cardboard for the base and added air-drying clay to the borders to create the ornate texture and depth found in real gold frames that exhibit classical artworks in museums.
