Liana Cubells, No Longer Here, Not Yet There, 2021, Intaglio printing with plexiglass on paper

 

 

At this place in my lifetime, I reach the end of familiarity and comfort. As I graduate college and work further to reach my goals I am left to create my future and walk along the path to do so, truly on my own. Inevitably I will struggle because I find there is nothing quite as unsettling as uncertainty and change. In my triptych, I want to visualize this strange transition that I have encountered as I take these steps towards the unknown like I am walking on a tightrope, full of thrill and fear. At this moment I stand in liminality, the threshold between the “no longer” and the “not yet”.

My triptych consists of three intaglio plexiglass prints on Hahnemühle. I chose this medium because of the unfamiliarity, which I see fits quite well with my concept. All three pieces consist of elements of myself, like the hands and feet, to represent my journey. The first piece titled “No Longer” explores exactly that, what has come and go. From the mysterious door of my past, my hand holds the rope that leads me to what is to come. The rope is frayed from what may be the “wear and tear” of living, or maybe you’d like to think of it as a means to force me to move forward before the rope unravels. This continues to the second piece “Liminality”, where I am transitioning with caution of what is to ensue. I included my anklets to further show this is me; nonetheless, they do hold a special place in my heart as one was gifted to me by my cousin and the other is matching with my best friends, people I hope to keep in my life as long as I can. Then there are the blisters (thanks to my doc Martens), which of course represent inevitable pain faced through change. Similarly, we can see there is a knot along the way, as transitions through life do not come without weak points, and we may question whether we could make it through. This brings me to the last piece “Not Yet”, which is almost a replica of the first print, however, the rope is not frayed. Once again there is a mysterious doorway with darkness; because it is impossible to truly know where my life is headed from here.