“Where Are You Originally From?”. The artist, River Koelo, investigates the human body, identities, and patterns. All the paintings depict the “immigrant body,” disfigured, out of order and logic, which are reconfigured in the imagination and eyes of those who experience the work.
When: April 19, 2023, from 6 PM to 8 PM
Where: Consulate General of Brazil in New York
Address: 225 E 41st Street, NY 10017
“Where Are You Originally From?” presents a new series of paintings inspired by my experience as an immigrant and how we respond to questions that can influence our sense of belonging to a new place or social group.
“In this research, I propose to return the question to the audience, raising issues about it, as I believe that we are all subject to playing the role of immigrants and natives at some point. In the paintings of this series, the human figure is presented as an “immigrant body,” disfigured, out of order and logic, with different faces and shapes that are shaped and reconfigured in the interpretation of others, according to their prior knowledge and prejudices.
When asked about my birthplace, I sometimes feel that I am not enough as a singular and unique body, representing only my personal story. Therefore, I understand that, regardless of my individuality, the revelation of my country of origin can justify my qualities or flaws and influence how I am perceived and assimilated.
I would like to paint our social and physical bodies in a non-traditional way, to propose different views and perceptions about others and about ourselves. My work questions beauty standards through skin color and body shape, considering how this affects our representation in society. I make use of mixed digital and traditional media, using brushes and experimental tools to create lines and textures that evoke feelings, emotions, and nature. Identity, self-knowledge, and displacement are at the core of my theme.”
River Koelo is a Brazilian mixed media artist based in New York. His work navigates binaries in search of what lies between them, investigating the human body within constructions of identity, social space, and beauty standards.