It seems I forgot to finish the artist’s statement…

 

(copying this from the email to guide me when I get around to writing it later haha):

This piece had the goal of showing the protests of many polarizing topics as chaotic and was almost making fun of them in a way. I first just painted many protest signs—copying where they were in the image from actual protests—then I gradually painted over them and abstracted them. The first half was pretty stressful for me and actually got me crying and made my stomach hurt. I think this is because I found myself acting as a mediator between conflicting opinions a lot as a student leader at TWU, and it was so stressful to be in the middle of arguments in a space that I was supposed to foster as a welcoming environment. It was really hard with covid because student leaders were made to ask peers to put masks on and there was a lot of tension between people, and student leaders who would rebel, etc.
I don’t feel much of that anymore. I think this painting was a part of my introspecting and healing process. That, along with having rest from people in summer break, and the mask mandates being removed.