Teacher Name: Annamaria Castellucci Cabral
Grade: 12
Materials: Plaster, Cardboard, Glue, Fake plants
Dimensions: 12” × 12” × 20”
Artist Statement: The phrase “in the closet” is a term used by people that are part of the LGBTQ+ community and it is a reference to people who are not yet out to friends, family, or both. There are plentiful reasons that people remain in the closet, whether that be for safety or because their identity has not been fully realized. Remaining closeted is a scary experience. In my 7th grade year I had identified as bisexual, and I was outed by a trusted classmate in the springtime. I was the center of attention. After this experience, I felt boxed in and scared to discuss my sexual and gender identity with many people.
The usage of a box, plaster, and vines help to represent my struggle with finding myself and being closeted up until this time in my life. I was inspired by my classmates and the artist il-yong Kim, who uses plaster in his pieces to describe a person without the warmth and bond attached to said model. While working with plaster, I struggled with fingers that would detach from the hand and having to reattach them in the time that I was allowed. Originally the plastered hands were going to be suspended on a locker door, with the vines tied around them. After a slight change of plans (as usage of the lockers was not approved until late) I decided upon putting them in a box. To have the hands reach out further and dramatize the piece, I added a platform inside of the box with the leftover flaps that I had cut off the top of the box. I left the plaster unpainted as I felt it embodied the feeling of vulnerability better. The vines spilling out of the box represents the beauty hidden inside of everyone closeted. Every aspect of the piece is reaching out beyond the box, wanting to be out of its harmful and lonely grasps.
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