Highlighters, colored pens, pencil.
I created this artwork during our semester break. I only brought five highlighters (used three for this piece) with me, so I made it my goal to make the colors work well together. I mainly relied on the colors blue and orange because they complement each other. The noisy background that almost consumes the character contrasts with her disassociated gaze (which aims to create a feeling of detachment).
Initially, this artwork was a sort of culmination of my frustrations with what I was experiencing at the time. I struggle with hormonal imbalance, and around the time I created this artwork, I was still in the process of finding the right medication without any side effects that impacted both my physical and mental health. Other than my hormonal imbalance, the creation of this artwork was also incited by other stressful circumstances that arose during that time, which just further emphasized the sense of detachment that I was already dealing with towards my own body. But now that time has given me the opportunity of having a much broader perspective, I find that the story of this artwork can expand beyond my own struggles, that it also connects with the experiences of all women--from struggling under a patriarchal system that suppresses bodily autonomy (reproductive health and education encompassing trans healthcare), to living under the normalcy of misogyny and transmisogyny, all of which aiming for the dehumanization of women.
Art is fair and generous in the sense that we can all have a voice in it, as well as find our voice in it. It can be beautiful and uncomfortable at the same time. It's able to relay simple truths and stark realities on one page. Overall, making this artwork was a memorable experience, and it gave me the chance to be bold with my vulnerability.
This artwork's concept took some inspiration from John Carpenter's cosmic and body horror film "The Thing."