Real
My BFA undergrad thesis.
real. (artist statement 4/14/2003)
Real, to me, is a state of mind, a way of life, a religion. This body of work is a representation of the process to reach a euphoric state of being real.
The search for this “real” comes from triggers of questioning the self and the need to understand how people exist individually in this world. I think all people have a need to search for the real. In order to understand the outside, physical real, you have to find the mental real within. The process begins with a realization that something is there that needs to be found. The struggle is finding the way in. Sometimes the harder the struggle, the deeper you can go and the real within becomes clearer. Notice your heart beating, and the blood running through your veins. You exist within yourself.
The something that you were looking for has always been there, just needed to be revealed. When it is revealed, the mental and physical real become one. There is an understanding and acceptance of the self and knowledge that you are real.
Michelle Graves
for real.
All stills below were created using a scanner as a camera and Photoshop.
