Nizlyn

My art is not solely skin deep; it deals with the skin as a border between myself and the outside world. Remnants of memories, both good and bad, mark this boundary. My body is like a journal, with each bruise, bite, and scratch telling a story. I have always been obsessed with the mixture of fragility and strength when I look at a bruise. Bruises are temporary abrasions, morphing into a galaxy of colors as they heal and disappear. Their ephemeral nature led me to document each bruise as a memory of the action that made them. Skin Ego, a psychoanalytic theory created by Didero Anzieu, has also helped my own self-analysis and understanding of my art practice. My art has evolved from illustrating the temporary marks of sadomasochism to an inward reflection on how the outside world acts upon the barrier of the skin and affects who we are as people. This psychoanalytic theory helps me explore my masochistic tendencies in my personal life as well as in the media I use for my art practice. In the past few years, papercutting has become an intrinsic and therapeutic part of my work. The act itself is masochistic in nature, a repetitive and meticulous process in which I find peace.  The delicate papercut pieces mimic the permeable and fragile nature of the skin.

I see skin as a somatic wrapping, ever-changing and wholly affected by external and internal forces. My work is largely inspired by ideas of religion and innocence versus corruption. Marks on the body, such as bruises, are often seen as shameful, and this idea along with feelings of guilt are frequently explored in my work. My papercuts this semester concern the subject of submission to both the institution of the church and in BDSM power dynamics.  The idea of being bound to a sacred building reflects the helplessness that I feel to things outside my control.  I see a healing abrasion and juxtapose the beauty of its colors with the implication of the violent act that inflicted them. The longer a viewer stares at my pieces, the more unnerving my work becomes. From the ripped shirts to the barely concealed bruises, my figures hide their scars behind a thinly veiled façade.