Clarisse Abelarde
Clarisse Abelarde is a current BFA student in CSU Long Beach specializing in drawing and painting. As an immigrant from the Philippines, she is incredibly influenced by adaptation and the changes that occur when assimilating to a culture foreign to her own upbringing. Displacement and disorientation are two prominent themes in her paintings as she attempts to pinpoint her place in society. Her work deals with issues of identity and representation. As she was forming her education in Los Angeles City College, her body of work was more carefully made and calculated, while their subject matter dealt with the monotony of daily life, and the impact of social and digital media on identity.
As she develops her more recent work, Abelarde’s paintings echo the visceral impact of the abstract expressionist movement as she is drawn to their physicality and raw emotion. Combining the techniques and skills she has accumulated throughout the years, she sees a balance between chaos and structure.
Most recently, her work was published in The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, LGBT Heritage Month Calendar, and Cultural Guide, and in Primary Magazine Vol. 1 this year. She is also involved in the organization, nous-ance, which is an online community and platform dedicated to increasing visibility for up-and-coming contemporary artists.
Clarisse lives and works in Koreatown, Los Angeles; in the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life, which serves as her inspiration on a daily basis.
To see or be seen, Oil pastels on kraft paper 11" x 14"
The goal of the work is to portray the modern world and the issues we face today by exploring concepts of detachment, uncertainty, and doubt. It is in our human nature to desire to belong and be accepted in society and by doing so we lose ourselves to conform to an ideal way of life. The work shows my struggle of moving away from the status quo and moving towards becoming my genuine self. In doing so, I’ve found a different side of myself that has always been present but was hidden in shame.
Social media has made provocative images the center stage for popularity. As I navigate my way as an Asian-American, I find that it has been difficult for me to find representation as a normal person online. Almost as if the more I strive for popularity, the more I lose my personality, character, and intellect. This piece demonstrates the deep-rooted issues of visibility, hindrance of expression, vulnerability, and loss of power that I currently experience while I interact with technological algorithms.