Antinomy

by Marissa Guercio-Apolito

To me, the world is a series of contradictions, spectrums, and grey areas that form a complex and often painful human experience. My antidote for this is stories. I use my work to tell stories, like childhood fables come to life and twisted up with whimsy and underlying darkness, sculpted from clay and given life like a golem. My tales come from deep within me. Some, like drawing poison from a wound before it becomes fatal, others, a flood of memory that couldn’t stay contained. My work is rooted in thoughts and emotions that, like all art, are universally relatable when distilled down to their most basic elements. My stories often start with a figure, either human, animal, or both, that becomes a character in my narrative. I use animals to convey complex emotions, often wishing I could be as uninhibited, as wild, as genuine as they are. I enjoy using recognizable imagery in contrary ways, encouraging viewers to think about familiar things differently and wonder why we think the way we do. I often pull from history, religion, politics, and current events, using their familiar symbols to fuel my narratives. Ultimately, these stories are me, as I am a collection of contradictions—quiet but intense, timid yet brazen, gentle yet volatile, delicate and indestructible. These opposing forces shape my perspective and come through in my art, which often reflects the complexity of being more than one thing at once.