Cerebral Catharsis
Both the subject matter and the atmospheric environments of Keilana Hoffstetter’s psychological surrealist paintings are laden and heavy, though just opaque enough to be fully investigated. The Florida-based figurative painter visualizes difficult mental states and issues of the subconscious, which often take the form of highly expressive self-portraits. Hoffstetter’s work involves turning concepts of trauma, pain, and internal conflict into visual narratives which utilize ambiguity and imagination to provoke dialogue regarding stigmas and challenges in the realm of mental health. The often abstract spaces of Hoffstetter’s canvases plunge viewers into deep cognitive waters. In every cerebral scenario there is opportunity for not only catharsis but community. The transparency and opacity throughout each image results from both its visual language and the brazenness of its artist to act as a vessel for the sake of the audience. Viewers who investigate Hoffstetter’s imagined environments never navigate the journey alone, the artist always accompanies, and is never afraid to lead the way.
Part One: Who is Keilana Hoffstetter
Question #1: Who are you?
I am an American artist currently based in Florida. I recently graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors’ in Fine Arts. I am fascinated by psychology and environmentalism. My current body of work is focused more on psychology and how mental wounds project onto the physical body and the communication between the mind and body.
Question #2: Who are you as an artist?
I am a figurative surrealist who explores the cathartic release of displaced and repressed emotions. My current focus is exploring mental health and how individuals experience or address the topic. Since one narrative does not showcase the experience of everyone, I choose to use self-portraits that act as vessels for communicating the catharsis of emotions. They offer a subconscious, personal perspective on social issues that are concurrent with modern society.
Question #3: What do you think about while creating?
When I create, I think about the narrative of the work and what message I want to showcase through the painting. My overall goal is to create a space for interpretation, encouraging the audience to project their own experiences onto the piece to further the conversation. I think about how I can create a piece that is specific enough to spark this conversation. However, I aim for the work to still be ambiguous enough to allow the audience to interpret the work specific to them, so it doesn’t dismiss their experiences.
Question #4: What is something you wish someone had told you at some point in your life?
I wish someone had told me is to question more. I grew up wanting to be an artist but always got negative feedback from people. This resulted in me entering university focusing on environmental science until I realized that I could succeed if I am determined enough. I began to question why people believed specific things. What was the root of this belief, and why are they continuing this narrative if one situation does not mean it is the same for everyone. This has led me to expand my understanding of society and stigmas that branch further than the arts.
Question #5: Why do you need art your life?
I need art in my life to make sense of the world. There is so much going on, and the world is constantly evolving and changing. Through art, I can work through and analytically think about issues and topics. Art keeps me focused and clear-headed. It’s like a form of self-evaluation and therapy.
Question #6: Is your artwork for yourself or for others?
My artwork is a combination of both. I create as a form of understanding and making sense of the world, but I also create to showcase my experience to the world. While my experience is not the same as anyone else’s, it may share some similar avenues. This communication between people furthers dialogue about important questions and topics and allows people to feel as if they’re not navigating the world alone. It also offers me a space to share a perspective that others may not have considered or experienced. This provides me with the opportunity to showcase another side to a topic they might not have considered. My artwork is a form of open dialogue, promoting honest conversations about topics that should be discussed and viewed from multiple perspectives.
Question #7: What is your escape?
My escape is traveling and learning about the world. My mother was born in Kosovo and immigrated to the United States with her family. This inspired me to learn more about my roots and explore other cultures. There is so much beauty and culture in the world to experience, and through travel, I can catch a small glimpse of it. I also enjoy gardening. My mother’s side of the family grew up as self-sufficient farmers and instilled a love and importance for gardening early on. I have fond memories of growing vegetables and learning how to pickle them.
Part Two: Investigating the Psyche
How would you describe your work and practice?
Speaking about mental health and emotional states is considered more acceptable in today’s climate than in previous decades. However, I find myself questioning how current societal norms have created new, unrealistic expectations that have subsequently caused a repression of emotions. Through my work, I explore these negative states of thought and how they are a product of repression.
My primary medium is oil and acrylic paint. Through painting, I document a catharsis of raw emotion translated into a visual language. I utilize a gestural technique to create introspective self-portraits that offer a personal perspective on the relationship between authenticity and morality. I pay close attention to rendering skin tones and how color combinations can invoke the audience’s emotional responses. I am less concerned with accurately depicting realism and focus on manipulating the figure within the psychological space conceptually.
The figures in my work are composed of a bruised color palate that alludes to the wounded human psyche when faced with trauma. I use facial expressions as a vehicle for exploring the figure’s internal dilemmas. Each piece offers an ambiguous narrative open to interpretation by the audience, allowing them to become part of a psychological investigation.
This piece explores the idea that when faced with trauma or impactful life events, we shield ourselves subconsciously to protect those wounds from reopening or worsening further. The transparent figures are shown with their eyes covered, while the physical figure confronts the audience with a numbed expression. The translucent figures are projections of the opaque figures wounded subconscious. She chooses to shield them instead of addressing them, allowing her to be vulnerable to the external world.
This piece explores how mental states can superimpose themselves onto the physical body. The figures are composed utilizing a bruise-inspired palette. The bruises originate from subconscious wounds that have been repressed and are projecting themselves onto the body over time. Here the sweater acts as a safe place for hiding the wounds. However, it offers a superficial comfort as it is consuming the figure with the illusion of keeping the wounds hidden as they attempt to hide from view. The arrow shoots through the vulnerable part of the sweater and figure, the heart, alluding to harm through being vulnerable. The opaque figure attempted to take the arrow, acting as a shield, but the translucent figure, representing repressed emotions, is still wounded by the arrow.
This self-portrait focuses on a figure attempting to hide in cloak-like clothing while moths weigh it down, revealing the pained, frightened expression that confronts the viewer. The moths act as a symbol of sensitivity. They are known to be incredibly acute to their surroundings and sense minute fluctuation in the vibrations around them. In this piece, the moths have flocked to another sensitive object. They are weighing down the cloak to reveal what is unspoken through the figure’s expressive face. The white bar behind the figure juxtaposes the bruised skin tone of the figure. It acts as a small fragment of insight and clarity. The flat, floral wallpaper in the background juxtaposes the figure and moths, acting as a normalcy projection. The wallpaper is an easy method of adding artificial beauty to hide under its surface.
This piece showcases a dissociated self-portrait residing in an ambiguous scene under a transparent umbrella. The opaque figure attempts to shield herself from non-existent outside elements while her subconscious projection emerges from her cast shadow. The umbrella acts as a metaphor for partial protection through subconscious defense mechanisms, still allowing for vulnerability. The translucent figure is a projection of repressed emotions that she is trying to protect while concurrently protecting herself from. The figure lingers on the ground, leaning on the opaque figure for stability.
This self-portrait is an exploration of sacrificing something essential in the hope of receiving a greater reward. The figure is surrounded by a yellow halo, referencing biblical iconography, alluding to divine intervention. The figure’s body, like the heart, has a plasmatic composition and shows signs of erosion. A vital organ, the heart, has been removed from the figure, leaving her hollow inside. Removal of the heart signifies the removal of emotion, as the heart is commonly associated with feelings. By offering the decomposing heart, the figure is purging herself of toxified emotions.
| Where/ How can Vacant Museum viewers see more of your work and where can they purchase it? |
| If Vacant Museum viewers are interested in seeing more of my work or purchasing it, they can DM me on instagram @keilana_art , visit my website https://keilanahoff.myportfolio.com/, or email me at keilanahoff@gmail.com. Thank you for your interest and support for emerging artists! |