In an era where ideas, images, and narratives can be instantaneously shared and replicated, the lines between authenticity, appropriation, and assimilation can blur, leading to a diluted understanding of one's heritage and obscuring the nuanced layers that contribute to a transnational identity. “Paisajes conocidos, en lugares tan extraños” (Known landscapes, in such strange places), the debut NYC solo show for interdisciplinary artist and Yale MFA candidate, Laura Camila Medina, celebrates the magical realism of her native Colombia via paintings, sculptures and multimedia vignettes enmeshed in the web of a prominently placed spider-jester lures visitors to clarify the authenticity of their memories within our digitally reproduced age.
Spiders in the world wide web represent a commodification of culture by gathering our data to crawl through our memories, algorithmic arachnids copying and pasting shards of our identity that deny self-actualization. Leaving cobwebs that bifurcate our identity, we get stuck sacrificing our child-like curiosity in lieu of consumerist clutter. In this increasingly interconnected world, where information can be easily replicated and disseminated, Medina encourages us to question how we adapt from our origins to shape our understanding of our heritage and the complex tapestry of multicultural identities.
By leveraging the digital medium to provoke introspection, Medina provides viewers non-linear pathways to navigate the labyrinthine corridors of their memory to question the reliability of hidden and harmful narratives. The spider becomes a playful purveyor of metaphors to examine the complex interplay between memory and misinformation, the handmade and the digitally created.
This exhibition, composed of symbols from a personal mythology in combination with icons from Colombian and US popular culture, through a process of experimental animation and video collage, enables the translation of Medina’s works into immersive 3D rendered landscapes that play with texture, scale, and worldbuilding.
By weaving together the digital medium, the symbolism of spiders, and the concept of webs, Medina’s imagined worlds empower viewers on their journey towards edifying a new sense of self shaped beyond consumerist agendas. Through the interplay of visual elements, interactive components, and unexpected juxtapositions, she evokes a sense of wonder and contemplation where the digital medium becomes a safe and symbolic space where the delicate threads of memory intertwine, and the influence of misinformation is unveiled.
Laura Camila Medina’s artistic exploration aims to challenge the homogenization and dilution of diverse cultures, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own transnational or dualistic experiences to inspire the preservation of individual and collective narratives.