YELENA SANYER
Cherry on top!
Perfectionism is a curse. This refusal to accept any standard short of perfection ruins every achievement, bringing out the bad in even the best moments. Mental disorders and extreme perfectionism often go hand in hand, specifically with conditions such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphia, and Anxiety. My mixed media sculptural artwork focuses on compulsive disorders that are directed at one's own body, such as Dermatillomania, something I personally struggle with. I aim to materialize the frustration associated with seeking unattainable perfection while raising awareness for related mental disorders, creating a voice for those who are afraid to speak up.
I chose to needle felt the plush bunny because the process is repetitive in nature, like the act of skin picking. I chose to use visible, thick strands of thread to convey the idea that the bunny is imperfect. Armature wire gives the bunny it’s form, the button eye sewn onto its face represent the false reality that the bunny sees as it digs into itself with the fork, thinking it can rid itself of imperfections by force. The whip cream and cherry atop its head symbolize the attempt to hide the results of this destructive behavior, adding cuteness to an unsettling concept. The sprinkles represent the splotchy patterns of bruises, scabs, and scarring that appear from picking. The bunny sits on a plate, as if on display to the world, which I hand built using buff stoneware clay. The two moths further the idea of trying to portray oneself falsely, with the white one representing the facade of perfection and the contrasted one representing the true nature of the a perfectionist.
By hand building the plates, I was forced to let go of the idea of them coming out perfect. The shapes morph as the clay dries and then fires in the kiln, the surface is not completely smooth, and the chemical reactions of the glazes were unpredictable. I originally took inspiration for this idea of perfection from the floral designs of fine china and put my own artistic style into it. I spattered on the pastel colored glazes, putting my emotions to good use. After being fired in the kiln, the clear glaze gave these colorful splatters a funfetti cake like appearance, tying in that facade of cuteness. On the second plate, cooler tones create a swirling, dream like appearance. However, the underside of the plate is covered in colorful splashes of glaze, like the compulsive thoughts and emotions waiting beneath the surface, ready to explode when I step in front of a mirror. The thoughts running through my mind often make no sense, as if I’m daydreaming. The detachment I feel is expressed on the second, smaller plate, with the small sgraffito drawing of the bunny seemingly floating in a whirlpool of blues. The visible brush strokes in the glaze create a sense of movement, as if the nothingness is swirling around the bunny, disorienting it.
Mental illness is a real, serious issue in our society I hope that my art not only encourages those with Dermatillomania to seek help and alternatives to skin picking, but also raises awareness on the issues with having a perfectionist mindset and how detrimental the effects can be.
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