My surrealistic work reflects on my personal experiences—my intense emotional responses ranging from blissful to melancholic. Ideas of self-transformation and existentialism are explored through images of the human figure and the metamorphic nature of insects. The imagery of bedding, clouds, and concentric lines guide the viewer to meditate upon their own experiences. I apply these concepts through the variety of mediums I work in, primarily painting, sculpture, and performance. Recently, soft sculpture has been a particular focus of mine, as it is instinctively comforting and inviting and imitates the nature of the body. Utilizing time as a locus, I freeze moments highlighting gradual and perpetual change, and through performance recording and reiterating time, to visually navigate my relationship to the world around me.

Bio

Isabella De Santiago was born and raised in Colorado. She began her practice working in 2D; drawing and painting realism and surrealism. When bringing her work into the tangible realm of 3D and 4D, she reconnected with her childhood love for building, performing, and sewing. Isabella received her BFA from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. She is a part of The New Genres Collective, a performance art group based from RMCAD, and has participated in performances in spaces across Colorado as well as in the Currents New Media Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico.