“It’s very interesting that the same artist who so colourfully and skillfully depicted her friends, is also able to reduce so much the complexity of her art and draw exactly as a child would.”
Looking through the work of Claudia Chircop is like a journey spanning from the imagination of a child to the artistic expression of a mature person, who is strongly opinionated about specific social issues. The twenty-year-old fine artist’s strong pieces are her colourful digital illustrations, photography and cut-out paper collages, showing almost an obsession with pointed houses. Chircop’s characterisations of people from her circle show the artist’s skill and enjoyment in portraying familiar personalities. These illustrations, created using digital media and a colourful palette, have a small caption describing the character of the subject.Chircop describes her subjects, both in her depictions as well as in her textual captions, in such a way that would make anyone feel happy about himself.
Characters- Self Portrait, Drawing and Digital Art
Her cut-out paper collages also convey positivity and a sense of play. As if coming from the creative imagination of a child, Chircop’s collages of roads, pointed houses and other structures are fun to see. Some collages make fun of the viewer’s mind by using unreal symmetry and disproportion which never annoy your observation. Yet the same artist can also photographically capture blue-dyed dolls, powerfully conveying the horrors of child abuse. The skill is not only in the choice of props, but also in their manipulation and the angle of view of the photographs. Particularly noteworthy are the close-up photos of her collection called “Blue – Child abuse awareness”. Chircop’s digital manipulation collection also conveys a certain eerie note. Some of her works are photos of houses, balconies and roofs, with depictions of figures standing on the buildings or floating in mid-air.
Digital Manipulation- A combination of Photography and Child Art
Childhood clearly inspires the artist. The figures, drawn with very simple black lines, look like an imaginative friend that a lonely child would draw. It’s very interesting that the same artist who so colourfully and skilfully depicted her friends, is also able to reduce so much the complexity of her art and draw exactly as a child would. Claudia Chircop’s art is a mixture and a bridge between an adult- and a child-oriented artistic universe.
To view Claudia Chircop’s portfolio visit: http://www.behance.net/claudiachircop
Writer’s Biography
Mariam De Giorgio was born in Hamrun, Malta in 1991. She lived in Manila and Panay, in the Philippines, with her family for five years. After graduating with a Higher Nation Diploma in Fine Arts (2011), Mariam exhibited her work in Flavours, the annual exhibition of the MCAST Institute of Art & Design. Later she took part in the Malta Design Week in Valletta, October 2011. Recently she exhibited in An Educated Guess hosted at Hotel Splendid, in Strait Street, Valletta and in 6:6 at Lily’s Gallery, Sliema. Mariam has successfully graduated in B.A (Hons) in Fine Arts in 2012.
Links:
http://www.schlockmagazine.net/2012/12/11/childs-play/
http://mariamdegiorgio.blogspot.com/
Claudia Chircop 