Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Freitas.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve always had a creative impulse. Regardless of how old I was or what was available to me I always wanted to make something, frame something, or find new and different ways to interact with my surroundings. I am a very observant person, who tends to take in all elements of my surroundings at once and art has always been my way of relating, and processing to the world around me.
Looking back, I always attribute my playful aesthetic and interest to technology to my upbringing. My mother being in childcare, and my father working in tech hardware created a very interesting atmosphere for both creating and building. This fostered a want to explore multiple avenues of making. I continued to experiment often times taking one image or idea and reworking it. This need to explore kept a continuum of resurfacing elements in my work.
During my time earning my bachelors I took a range of studio courses from photo, to sculpture, to painting. I always wanted to add more elements to my work. I realized that all the processes could inform each other. The process of photography informing how to deal with space as well as the sculptures becoming great photographic, and so on and so forth. These explorations eventually merged into video making which allowed me to better craft a feeling, mood, or experience.
While discovering these methods of creation myself, I started to see a similar excitement in others in how they posted, curated and shared their lives online. More and more people exploring their world through photos and text. I found that the online space was a perfect source of inspiration all the things that interested me about both arts making and people.
Please tell us about your art.
I make videos, sculptures, and photographs abstracting the journey of being active online. I am fascinated by the normalization of online personas and the effect it has on introspection. I believe how emotions are viewed, felt, and exchanged have drastically changed as more platforms become necessary tools. I find inspiration from the oddities that arise during this exchange. In my work, I hypothesize artifacts of online activities and an augmented vail of the human experiences. I focus on two main elements: the psychological effects of media on the users, and the artifacts that are collaboratively left behind.
As for what I want people to take away from it, I have had a lot of great emotional responses to my work and I love them all. I hope to lure people in with punchy visual and keep them interested with an emotional edge that one can oddly relate to even though elements are a little out there.
Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
I believe it indirectly affects my work. Art dealing directly with politics is extremely important and I value the people stepping up to speak very much. Even though, I do not see myself as one of those artists. I have always believed that personal is political.
The current climate has definitely stirred up a lot of things that were looming in the background. I am interested in how we are talking about these things instead of the actuality of what we are saying. I deal with emotions a fair amount in my practice, and with all that is happening, regardless of what one thinks, it seems to always have a passionate and personal undertone behind it. Because of that, the nature of outrage culture online is very fascinating to me at this moment. That need to speak out, to correct, and to feel heard, even when perhaps, you aren’t as “right” as you think you are inspired my current video “Info Bubble.” That being said, I hope to see more moves made to heighten all voices, including the ones we have yet to hear from and have yet to understand, in various creative endeavors.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work on my website, AlyssaFreitas.com. They can also keep up with me on Instagram @memesinthemoma to see my process, upcoming shows, and anything that doesn’t quite make the cut! For business inquiries, please contact alyssarfreitas@gmail.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: AlyssaFreitas.com
- Email: alyssarfreitas@gmail.com
- Instagram: memesinthemoma
Image Credit:
Portfolio Image: Rollin Leonard, Video Installation Shot: Joel Tsui, all other photos are my own.
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