Creating Simulacra

Lillian Manning

Artist's Statement

Depression is the face in the sky, the overbearing presence of dread or fear, an uncomfortableness that can’t be attributed to any reason. I painted three responses to this existential dread, partially influenced by absurdism: the belief that life is purposeless, but the purposelessness should be embraced, not feared. One person sits on the edge of a building and bears the weight of the face alone. The second person stands against the building and disguises themselves in smoke. The final person has accepted the depression, the dread, the face, the unknown, and embraced it. They stand in the eye of the almighty oppressor, and accepting that view of the world appears to create a happier disposition within them. Personally, I do not know if that is true. Yet.

-Lilian Manning is a first year student from Dayton, OH, pursuing a major in English and Comparative Literature and a minor in Asian Studies.-