K A R L H I P O L
Artist Bio
ARTIST STATEMENT
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My current series of constructed abstract blueprint paintings significantly reflects my narrative—a Filipino immigrant student artist here in Canada. I am exploring the themes of history, process, and immigration. The paintings serve as my memoir and blueprints that trace who I am and my journey.
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I create multi-layered, dimensional paintings that draw viewers to reflect, inquire, visualize, see inspiration, and feel uncomfortable, to investigate and to explore. I produce images that have not seen before. These new pictures evolve through enigmatic blends: flat but dimensional, chaotic but organized, noisy but calm, descriptive but non-descriptive, and so on—a juxtaposition of unlikely combinations, belonging amongst categories that may be both complementary and contrary.
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The artworks exhibit multiple layers of metaphors and symbolism that relates to me. The first layer, the usage of denim is incredibly significant in this series, as it responds to the notion of the "Canadian Tuxedo." In these paintings, the denim symbolizes Canada, and so, this situates me here in Canada and acknowledges that through immigration, I am here, a foreign body, abiding by the rules and regulations of this land. Simultaneously, I am building up, creating and layering my marks in this community.
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The second crucial part of the paintings is the materialization of the 'acrylic skin.' If an acrylic product is applied to a non-stick surface and left to dry, this produces an acrylic skin. It is then peeled off, producing a piece of acrylic with no backing. I utilize this piece of acrylic or "skin" as a collage element in most of my paintings. I am highlighting the action of "peeling off and gluing" of the skin into a new surface—a metaphor of a body immigrating into a new place—a conceptual visualization of my immigration from the Philippines to Canada.