They say art is one of the best ways to escape from reality. Favianna Rodriguez has proved this statement wrong with her art exhibit “The Multiverse of Identity” at Northeastern University. Elaborating on the title she says, “For me, colour is about possibility”. Not someone who likes to be put into boxes of identities, art becomes a way for Rodriguez to explore and embrace the possibilities about who she can be. This is the same spirit that she wishes to encourage in her audience. She hopes to connect them with humanity and aesthetics at the same time.
Known for her activism, Rodriguez’s paintings become another medium through which she articulates her commentary on social issues. She hopes to open the minds of the people to show them the power that art has. Bree Edwards, the director of Northeastern Center for Arts talks about how Rodriguez is one of the visionary artists of the age who is able to intertwine art, advocacy and technology to create something that is sublime to look at.
Each of her works is extensively done taking several months. She first applies ink to multiple sheets of Japanese paper and then cuts them into different shapes. These shapes are then arranged to give each work its own individual character. With eye-smacking colours and intriguing designs, these pieces make the viewer think and create a meaning for themselves. In this manner, Rodriguez makes the viewer a part of the process of creating the artwork as much as herself. Art, she shows us, is not an entertainment medium detached from society.
N Malavika Mohan