Thesis Piece: Artist Statement

Isabella Bullen

Isolation as a Mixed Race Child, 2023

Charcoal

75.5 x 40 inches

Left and Right: 25.5 x 19.75 inches

Centerpiece: 36 x 40 inches

Being biracial in America can often mean straddling two different worlds and identities, and it can be a struggle to find a sense of belonging and acceptance in either. When talking about the concept of picking between two sides, most people probably think of something being split in two. However, the feeling of having to choose between two races is more of a jumbled-up mess. A mess of thoughts and memories of how you may have never felt like you could reach to either side for an answer. I utilized the charcoal medium to communicate the feeling of uncertainty and feeling lost. This work dives deep into what it is like to grow up as a bi-racial woman or kid in America and how it perpetuates the concept of picking sides. My work explores the effect of being biracial and how it has been an experience of trying to find myself and understand how it affects an individual's identity.