Isabella di Rienzo
Toxic Egg, 2020
Plaster, acrylic paint, mixed media
48 x 24 inches
When entering my room, one may feel overwhelmed, even afraid. Countless records are stacked on the floor, books litter almost every surface, dirty paint brushes fill coffee mugs and plastic cups, childhood stuffed animals line the crack between my bed and the wall, and small tchotchkes, trinkets, incense, and candles are staggered throughout the shelves. My room is like my mind; absolutely bonkers 24/7. Despite the clutter, there is one place in my room that is pristine: my makeup table. Palettes of blues, greens, crimsons, and sparkles line the table in an orderly manner. Each makeup brush is clean and neatly tucked into the correct position. The bottles of glittering liquids shimmer in a perfect array. Amidst the chaotic and lonely social life of a thirteen year old girl, I discovered a strange love for art through the confines of my room and the contents within it. I began practicing makeup during middle school, a time when I felt the farthest from myself. It intrigued me: the colors and the textures. The best part was that I only needed myself; I was the artist and the canvas. I experimented with materials, colors, textures, shapes, beauty, ugliness, and personalities. Inside my room, in front of the mirror at my makeup table, there was no pressure from the opinions of others and therefore, no boundaries to expressing my creativity. Practicing makeup in this setting allowed me to be completely unafraid of making my wildest ideas come to life. Makeup was the gateway medium not only to discovering my interest in all kinds of art but also to understand my individual voice and place within my world. I learned about my fascination with the mental and physical aspects of the human body. I began to play with the relationship between the inner-workings of the mind and the physicality of the body. I have always loved the idea of becoming someone or something else, going from one entity to an entirely new one just with the power of makeup and everyday household objects. Over time, I learned to use makeup to deepen the mystery in my art because I can use it to warp reality. My art manifests the confusion between the inner and outer workings of the human body. It twists the mind, the limbs, the emotions, allowing the audience to get lost within a tangle of feelings and opinions. I have been using makeup to allude to the mystery of the human body and create dispute within the mind of each viewer because I believe that true art leaves the observer questioning the piece in its ambiguity. With this piece, I have allowed my fascination with the human body to melt into my favorite tangible techniques and materials like plaster, paint, arms, hands, fingers, teeth and more. In this piece I want to illustrate the similarities of the human body and nature while also highlighting their vast differences. After all, human kind cannot live without nature. In fact, we are nature, we stem from the plants and the soil just like a flower or a tree, yet we are ransacking the planet as if there is a disconnect. It is ultimately up to the viewer to decide whether this relationship is beautiful and natural or manmade and toxic.
