When I found out about the theme of “Blood and Guts,” I just pictured red. I didn’t want to do anything too gory, though; I just wanted the images to hold a sense of isolation, almost in a scary way—like she’s trapped in a room with no doors. An art gallery is supposed to be a haven for community and culture, but I often find that the “white box” design leaves an empty, hollow feeling. Without being able to clearly see the art, a gallery full of meaning and emotion feels empty. When I have nightmares, I’m not being chased by a monster or falling; I’m usually in a strange, unsettling situation where I have little to no control and am frozen. My surroundings are difficult to make out, and so I lose my sense of who I am and how I got there.
Confusion and isolation are what bring me anxiety, and I wanted to play on that for this piece. I feel far more haunted around Halloween by depictions of isolation than by intense bouts of gore—more of a thriller feel than one of horror. Sometimes I enjoy feeling like this, in small bits. Being able to create this eerie sense in a visual format leaves me slightly less jarred by being alone in unfamiliar and understimulating environments.
By Gabbie Vaillancourt
