Paola Bermudez

 Artist Statement:

Once I finish my pieces, there is a long process of reflection. I spend hours looking at my art, discovering new things in the shapes, colors, undertones, and textures. I end up understanding something about myself and my experience that very subtlety comes to life through my art. Sometimes, the piece’s title comes to me during this process, and it usually ends up being as important as the piece itself. When I first learned that the theme of Art on the Ave’s next exhibition would be “Resilience”, I began to consider how my piece and its meaning could relate to the concept of resilience. After several days of thinking, feeling, and reflecting I finally understood how. “Fragmented Memories” talks about the pieces that form a unit, a person, a city, a country, a race. It talks about something or someone that is made up of fragments, memories and situations, but still is a whole. We all have been broken and we all have been resilient and strong enough to shine again. To me, that is the meaning of resilience: without denying your history, your losses, or your grief, still being yourself. In a metaphorical and in a very concrete way, “Fragmented Memories” represents new meanings, new beginnings, and new opportunities. Being resilient means to have the capacity to reinvent yourself, accepting that the tough moments are part of what you are, of who you are. Resiliency is the capacity to put the pieces together, and still find beauty and strength, while accepting that the scars and the cracks tell part of your story.