Week 9

Camille Rose Garcia   The Operation 

Last week’s artist presentations were very diverse in styles, themes, and mediums. The artist that most stood out to me, however, was Camille Rose Garcia whose artwork is explained as creepy pop surrealism. 

Her style was drastically different from the other artists we had read about and from the others that were being presented on. At first glance her artstyle reminded me of some of the street art and graffiti I have seen in Boyle Heights. Upon looking more into the artist and pop surrealism, or the lowbrow art movement, I learned that this style can at times use stylistic or thematic elements from street art and graffiti. Given that I had never known how to describe this type of art, I was actually glad that my classmate chose to highlight this artist. 

Out of all the artworks that were presented, the one that most stuck out to me was The Operation, which as my classmate explained was part of a larger series inspired by a horrible dentist experience. The haunting image of a doctor with a molar for a head looking down at the patient is among one of the many unsettling images, but yet something that really spoke to me. I personally have always had a fear of the dentist and though my experience has been nothing compared to Rose Garcia’s, that feeling of not having control and confusion was very relatable. I also think the hallucinations that inspired this piece show through its psychedelic and gothic art style. It’s even inconceivable that her experience be portrayed in any form that isn’t her unique artstyle.