ARTIST'S STATEMENT

The WOW factor was influenced by those survivors of Onchocerciasis who create art, as well as those who make art about the disease.

Instead of immitating the style of Issek (more information about Issek under our design page), I decided to create a series of modern abstract pieces based off of the emotional aspects of the disease and how the physical parasite can invade the carrier, regardless of background, in the correct conditions.

Brightly saturated colors were used to build the foundation of the pieces, as a tribute to color palatte used by Issek in his designs. The disease is represented by strong geometric shapes, placed over the delicate watercolor foundation, as to inturrupt what has been built (I.E. a community, a family, a structure, etc). The "parasite" was drawn and added by hand randomly, to further mimic the irradic, irreversable and overal damaging results of the disease. By visually combining the foundation and the "parasite" together, there is a tension that represents the survivors, still the same person underneath, yet forever changed by the intrusion of the disease on the outside.

I want the viewer to ask themselves, "has the "parasite" ruined the painting? Or rather, has is helped me understand the permenance of the problem?"

Amanda Gallo