Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bol's statement

As a self-taught artist, my most significant source of inspiration is the unforgiving nature of life itself–to overcome odd challenges in the pursuit of safety and comfort. In life, I live art. With each new artistic accomplishment, my life has experienced positive and lasting change, which motivates me to create more.

As young boy in a Dinka village in Sudan, I made toys of clay soil for entertainment. I never anticipated that I would eventually learn three-dimensional computer modeling techniques. At the age of six, I used art to record a personal dairy as civil war tore apart my village, separated me from my family and exposed me to different countries and harsh wilderness (as one of 35,000 children known as the Lost Boys of Sudan). Despite my young age, my mind still retains all of the snapshots and nightmares that clung to my eyes, especially the everyday battles between real-world predators, the unforgettable final memory of my village and the cruel acts of the government. I illustrated many of these events with stick figures drawn in charcoal and natural pigments upon walls, cardboard, soil and any other available surface in the refugee camp. My drawings provided clear explanations of our hardships to journalists visiting the camp that couldn't understand our language. After the start of my basic schooling, my creativity flourished through imagination, memory and observation. My skill was recognized and implemented to illustrate educational images, scientific diagrams, local emblems and contagious disease awareness posters for the community.

My artwork predominately functions as a universal language spoken in a new community to share a message that extends beyond what words can express. My current art intertwines traditional and modern techniques in conjunction with visual and conceptual aspects. I have immersed myself into art culture to examine the relationship between various media, possibilities, values, nature, diversity, culture and development in art. I am investigating art-making traditions and analyzing how society changes through art. I see the positive impact of digital media in my current work as I execute various renderings using traditional styles. The enrichment of digital media has stimulated my mind, particularly in dealing with all available chances, ongoing theories, practical and trans-formative concepts.. The enjoyment and excitement of seeing things in unique perspectives, especially with computer modeling, four-dimensional video and digital image manipulations fuel my current art exploration.