Glorified Expectations
Sarah Yasmin Neil
Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
About this Item
- Title
- Glorified Expectations
- Date
- 2024
- Summary/Artist's Statement
-
Sarah Neil
Glorified Expectations
An expectation is defined as 1) a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future, 2) a belief that someone will or should achieve something. Did you have an expectation when approaching this body of work today? Perhaps expectations of the work's quality, subject matter, or scale of the pieces filled your mind. Maybe you envisioned a predominantly digital display, reflective of our digital age.
Expectations, I’ve come to realize, are the universal nemesis of the artist. Through vibrant brushstrokes intertwined with typography, juxtaposed against controlled linework and striking subjects, I aim to convey the duality of confusion and clarity when fulfilling unsolicited expectations.
In my artwork, I strive to convey a unique sense of style and confidence, viewing each subject through the lens of a woman in a society that often fails to provide such perspectives for young female artists. Vibrant colors and sophisticated chaos define my work, reflecting the struggle to express my biracial identity and queerness in the predominantly white, Western culture of my upbringing. Through traditional mediums, I aim to remind my audience of the beauty found in imperfection and the growth that comes from experiencing failure in the pursuit of self-discovery.
The process of creating this thesis show was a push through overcoming external critiques and internal doubts. What began as a large body of narrative text paying tribute to the ten lives I seem to have lived before the age of 25, led to the body of work you see before you in this show.
My written words transformed into ink drawings on board, eventually embracing acrylic on canvas and mixed media techniques. It was a path riddled with attempts to please everyone, mirroring the struggle I faced in my personal life. I hope these pieces ignite introspection, prompting viewers to reflect on their own encounters with expectations– whether embracing or breaking them. - About this Work:
- This work is a collection of paintings and drawings exploring the artist's evolution through challenging expectations. A third-generation Indian-American female from the southwest, this work reflects the multifaceted individual she is. The images include themes of race, gender, politics, and as always, Feminism.
- Creation Date: May 2024
- Medium
- Acrylic, pastel, pencil on paper
- Medium (Terms)
- Acrylic paint
- Pastels (crayons)
- Pencils (drawing and writing equipment)
- Paper (fiber product)
- Course/Degree Information
- Program/Degree: Illustration MFA
- Academic Semester: Spring 2024
- In Exhibition
-
Flood: Class of 2024 Visual Thesis Exhibition
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: il_mfa_000005
Citation
Neil, S. Y. (2024). Glorified Expectations. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/398800
Neil, Sarah Yasmin. Glorified Expectations. 2024. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/398800
Neil, Sarah Yasmin. "Glorified Expectations." FIT Digital Repository, 2024. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/398800