BFA Senior Thesis, 2026
Artist Statment
Concrete has an emotional and physical impact on everyone who lives around it. Through natural and man-made materials, this body of work investigates how the different elements interact with each other in environments where humans reside. By photographing myself as the subject, I showcase my personal relationship with concrete to the viewer, demonstrating the inescapable wear, tear, and pain that is inflicted over time.
Incorporating black and white photographic imagery and text through mediums of concrete, handmade paper, and fabric, I work with materials that reflect the texture and feeling of concrete’s ubiquitous presence in industrial spaces. The ground and earth we walk on are represented by the handmade paper, filled with bits of dirt, roots, and decomposition, which is invaded by imagery of concrete infrastructure. Cinder blocks cover and take over partial sight of the ground while holding imagery that embodies the inevitable blood and broken skin that is physically caused by the concrete. The delicate fabric stretched over the cold concrete represents the softness and delicate woven build of skin. These elements shaped my life and experiences growing up, and it feels that it will always continue to do so.
Each component is carefully placed within this body of work and prompts the viewers to internalize and pay attention to the materials’ existence in everyday life. Though it could harm us, we cannot escape or avoid it. To understand this work, one must recognize how much we co-exist with materials, with or without our full cognitive recognition.
Materials:
Abaca Paper mixed with Dirt, Roots, Grass & Wood Chips
Black and White 120mm Film Images
Found Concrete Cinder Blocks
Matt Jersey Fabric
MDF Block Text & Black Relief Ink
Worn Van Shoes
“as shoes carry steps, the coarse nature layered and confined within
scarred my feet, freedom to wild things.
blood stained driveways,
hand-made structures,
learning to love your existence
it feels like rotting
veins turn cold to the touch.
escaping is meant to be something i will never know,
as you continue to hold the world while dividing it apart“
Bee Vrieland 