Aliya Edwards
“Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide” —D.W. Winnicott
My art deals with the paradox of art itself. I am drawn to personal subject matter that I simultaneously want to share with others and keep all to myself. I am fascinated by the constant paradox that I find in myself, where the need to communicate and the fear of vulnerability collide. When I make artwork, there is rarely an intention at all in the beginning- just an impulse. My artistic impulses stem from my personal life and emotions to produce artwork as a means of processing daily life. In pursuing such deeply personal concepts and emotions, my work often resonates with the raw feeling of being a human. This body of work is categorized into three smaller bodies of work: erased portraits, misconceptions and corrections, and embroidered clothing.
In this series of “erased portraits”, I use text as both a form of communication and concealment. In laying the text over the portrait, I hide the very person it refers to by obscuring their face to the point of nonrecognition. I desire to communicate my thoughts and emotions, but I hide behind the subject’s anonymity.
In my mini series of “misconceptions and corrections”, I clarify between assumptions that I have been given and the truth about me. The dichotomy between the phrases on each page of canvas shows just how nuanced it is to fully understand someone. I concluded this series with my list of daily affirmations because I felt that these were the corrections to false assumptions that I had about myself, and need constant reminding of the truth. In working with the concept of paradox, I find such a profound paradox in this list that is supposed to strengthen self-assurance and yet simultaneously shows all of one’s own deepest insecurities.
As for my Embroidered Clothes, initially, it hadn’t even occurred to me to display my clothes in an art exhibition. This shed light on my presuppositions about when I consider my work art and when I consider it craft. When I embroider on flat rectangles of canvas with the intention to admire like a painting, I view that as art. But when I embroider my clothes for the intention of wearing them, I downgrade it as craft. By adding my own embroidered clothing to this exhibition, they form a dialogue with my other works of art that employ similar techniques to combat this dichotomy that has been so ingrained in the human psyche. It is both craft and art. This debate dates back to early art history, but is brought to attention in the Pattern and Decoration movement in the 1970s- early 80s. Although most of this movement opposed the distinctive line between craft and art by using craft-like patterns as subject matter for their “high art” paintings, I challenge the line entirely by blending materials and subject matter from both my textile/embroidery practice and my painting practice.
ERASED PORTRAIT
If Only
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
definite no
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
You call me love but you don’t say you love me
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
would’ve could’ve should’ve
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
hey text me first for once
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
WWYRYSBILWM?
6” x 20”
oil paint, embroidery on canvas
Patient with everyone but men
6” x 20”
oil paint on canvas
MISCONCEPTIONS AND CORRECTIONS
misconceptions and corrections, 1
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 2
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 3
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 4
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 5
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 6
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 7
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 8
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 9
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
misconceptions and corrections, 10
4” x 6”
Embroidery on canvas
EMBROIDERED CLOTHING
jean jacket
Varied Size
Embroidery on denim jacket
Introvert
Varied Size
embroidery
el segundo smokestacks
Varied Size
embroidery
Varied Size
anatomical heart
Varied Size
Embroidery on white shirt
tridelta letters
Varied Size
Embroidery on grey sweatshirt
delta delta delta
Varied Size
Embroidery on green sweatshirt
van gogh pants
Varied Size
Embroidery on denim pants
Detail
van gogh pants
Varied Size
Embroidery on denim pants
Front view
van gogh pants
Varied Size
Embroidery on denim pants
Back view
BIO
Aliya Edwards is a mixed media artist based in Los Angeles. Aliya is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Art in Malibu, California. Having grown up always looking over her mom’s shoulder as the sewing machine was running, Aliya finds much inspiration from sewing and textiles. She also makes art as a reaction and reflection of her own personal experience, oftentimes harnessing her emotions and thoughts of the moment to produce work as a means of processing her own being. Her current work deals with concepts of paradox and dichotomy in relationships with others.
Aliya’s work has been exhibited in Pepperdine’s Junior Studios Exhibition, Evidence of Effective Struggle as well as Pepperdine TedX: Surf to Summit. She has also displayed her work at the Art Walk in El Segundo, CA.