rachel aponte

Artist statement

I began painting portraits out of a desire to render the skin’s transparency using primarily cerulean blue, ochres and siennas. I am especially attracted to the combination of portraiture and design. What does a face encircled by a doily represent? How does the gaze interact with patterns? I am fascinated by the order created in a face, much like patterns forming a distinct identity. The face becomes a map, a surface of memories. Portraits can be accompanied by objects that reveal their history, their place in the world. In that sense, a portrait can become the source of representing an identity and the complexities that it contains. I would like to continue my artistic research in that direction.