60” x 40”
Flashe, acrylic, spray paint, coloured pencil on raw canvas
2023
To see good in others is to see good in yourself.
To see strength in others is to recognize strength in yourself.
To see pain in others is to honour the pain your own heart holds.
To see fragility in others is to make peace with your own vulnerability.
To embody Fortitude, is to be at ease with the exhaustion that comes from being resilient.
One final homage to the Mirror collection is this painting that celebrates the strength and fragility of the people who make up the city of Hamilton. The strong and powerful, the meek and fragile, the wealthy and the working class. The communities who work together, the groups who clash. The tall rises with glass windows that look down on the steel mills and paved roads that support them. A reminder that glass can be cracked, fractured and chipped, and yet, still remain intact; a reminder that steel can be bent, warped and dented, but it cannot be broken.
*Thank you to the Hamilton Arts Awards for the Shirley Elford Commission Prize that facilitated the creation of this painting.
The Mirror collection is an exploration of who people are according to themselves vs. who people appear to be to others, and whether these two "identities" are actually one in the same or entirely different personas. The artist asks the question of whether or not one's sense of Self can exist without the context of who she is according to other people.
The reflection one sees of themselves in a mirror is an inverted image of what others see - a mirror, the tool we use to view ourselves, is not even an accurate depiction of what we look like to others.
The mirror is an unreliable source of reflection but it's ironically used daily to ensure "we look our best" or "look like ourselves" before facing other people. The artist is exploring the concepts of truth and perception as it relates to the Self, and whether or not the identities people claim as their own are naturally formed and inherited at birth or fabricated and curated over the years as a result of life experiences and the influence of other people.
The artist used personal items including clothing, shoes and cosmetics to create these pieces, focusing on the juxtaposition between line work and fluid forms to express the tension between the varying degrees of masculine and feminine energies the artist has identified in herSelf.
More info about this product:
This painting was hand-stretched by the artist in her studio on 1.5" gallery frames. It can be hung as an exposed canvas, or framed in a floating wood frame for a more polished look. This painting comes with an artist statement and signature. If you purchase this painting you will be contacted by the artist for more information about pick-up options in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, or delivery/shipping information.
*Decorative frame not included*
Please note that the buyer is responsible for any shipping charges and/or for picking up the painting, but the artist (or gallery) will facilitate the process by obtaining quotes, packaging the product safely, and bringing it to a shipping centre at no extra cost. Reach out to the artist directly through the Contact page for any inquiries regarding this piece.
*This is an original painting by Tania LaCaria, there is only one in the world. Frame not included.*