Emily Beza Biography

Artist's Statement

I have and continue to inspire myself from walking around. I immerse myself in the dynamic layering and juxtaposition of structure, movement, rhythm, speed, pace, hustle and bustle of various environments. I describe my work as a reactive and visual reiteration of my experience which then transmutes itself onto the canvas/paper as an imagined reality. Some images with their austere often more formal, linear, (at times) grid-like façade which repress complex thinly rendered, elusive, background washes; tangentially allude to technology-based mediums such as computer-graphics and architecture in their own right. Works in 2003 developed more fluid, at times fraught as well as lyrical references, with a greater sense of dialogue between figure and ground. I will in due course develop this language which already begins to seem potentially explosive. In my portraits, I emphasise the initial feelings evoked in the source material, and add elements of myself to the mix. The finished works thus become a series of highly complex self-portraits which have evolved in tandem with poignant experiences in recent years. Elements of these works can often be disturbing; many of them are quite dark and melancholic. People are seldom comfortable when faced wholly and irrevocably with themselves. This is prevalent whether the initial image is drawn from life, photographs or media-related ephemera. The Cuban Salsa Dancer image springs from the memory of a Flamenco Dancer series completed during the second year of my BA. I used to think that the figuration within the image was merely a pretext in order to explore lines within the context of abstraction. I now think the opposite. The linearity and dynamism is (in this case) being used as a vehicle to enhance and explore the bionic, rhythmic and intense stance of the dancer herself.