In high school I took IB Art, a two year course that lead up to curating our own exhibition. The year of the exhibition was my senior year of High School. Here you can see all the pieces I made, enjoy!
My exhibition theme:
Liminal space/Kenopsia Liminal space is a internet aesthetic which portrays empty and abandoned places that can have a nostalgic appeal, and are often creepy, surreal, or forlorn. This can also be known as kenopsia which is the same except kenpopsia focuses more on places that are usually busy and bustling being abandoned.
Title: Don’t Freak Out
Medium: Alcohol markers and Pen
Size: 12 x 16
For the background I reference a classic viral YouTube video called “Greatest freak out ever” I thought the space looked liminal and it would be a funny reference to anyone who recognizes it. The title of the art is also a reference to the title of the video.
Title: He Can’t Swim
Medium: Acrylic paint and Paint markers
Size: 12x16
This is the first art piece I made with the rabbit and with liminal spaces. I quickly realized how much I liked the rabbit character and knew I wanted to make more art with him in it. I used a photograph by a liminal space photographer I like, Lauren Tapfer.
Title: A Tainted Dream
Medium: Acrylic paint
Size: 12x16
In this artwork the rabbit is in a dream surrounded by clouds and pastel colors. The rabbit contrasts being black, and there is black paint around the sides of the painting. The black on the sides that are slowly creeping into the painting represents anxiety coming into a bright and colorful dream. The anxiety and loneliness even creeps into dreams. The rabbit has a teddy bear in hand. I did this because originally I debated making the creature for these artworks a bear, but eventually went with a rabbit.
Title: Displaced Dream
Medium: Paper collage and Alcohol markers
Size: 12x14
I wanted to make something 3D, after making the invites for the art exhibition I thought collaging for a project could be fun, and it was. This is one of my favorites. I wanted to focus more on the nostalgia part of liminal space. I added many things from my childhood and searched on TikTok for things my generation had when I was little. This is supposed to be nostalgic to Gen Z, I thought it was a cute idea because we’re all growing up now. This is like a goodbye to childhood. I included a few things from my childhood and decided to go with a child’s room for this piece.
Title: Lonely Diner
Medium: Oil paint and Paint markers
Size: 9x12 I
wanted to do another liminal piece and I thought a dinner was a really good place to show kenopsia, a place usually full of people now empty.
Curatorial Rationale
Liminal space is defined as, “empty or abandoned places that appear eerie, forlorn, and often surreal. Liminal spaces are commonly places of transition, pertaining to the concept of liminality.” (Wikipedia) It is very similar to the word kenopsia which is defined by Collins Dictionary as, “the eerie atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but now abandoned.” Around 2019 was the start of the popularity of liminal space due to a creepy pasta from the website 4chan after a picture of a liminal space was uploaded. It is one of the most famous liminal space images online, and later an entire community was built around it. Now there are countless games about it, and even a movie set to be made for it. I was inspired by liminal space games on Roblox, liminal space photography, and the online content that was trending. I loved the creepy feeling some of these scenes made me feel. I felt inspired by the photographs and games and decided to experiment with painting them. I thought it was a fun idea, but I wanted to add something more. Painting plain liminal backgrounds felt too simple for me, so I made a tall and dark creature to roam these abandoned buildings. I wanted something people often think of as cute. I ended up going with rabbits because they aren’t known as harmful creatures, I mean they can die from fright.. The rabbit also represents loneliness, he embodies loneliness. With technology and social media being everywhere, we are in an epidemic of loneliness that may only get worse as people get more and more addicted. The rabbit shows that, no matter where you are or who you are, you can be lonely. I like the idea that everyone has their own rabbit, because everyone has their own feelings of loneliness. When I was done making each art piece it felt like I was looking at a lonely scene with a reflection of myself. And I hope that’s how others view my work too. Not all rabbits look the same, but everyone has one and I hope this idea can make people think about being kind in life. A lonely scene, viewed by you, no escape, just you and your loneliness. “So many lonely people in a crowded world” -Ay. En.
