Ayla Eichler

My work explores the complexities of our minds through the confrontation of emotional solipsism, the idea that individuals fail to comprehend the perspectives of others, resulting in self-inflicted alienation. I focus on expressing embarrassment, idolization, and hatred because these emotions are products of the mind’s inability to see vulnerability as a shared reality.

As a visual arts-cognitive science double major, I aim to materialize diverse psychological states while simultaneously exploring the spectrum of my own vulnerability through 2-dimensional modes of production. Different materials and technical approaches allow me to embody a range of concerns. My work in wax crayon strives for precision, drawing from strange, eerie, and dirty scenes I encounter that elicit the emotion that drives my work. Throughout the laborious process, I am repeatedly confronted with the discomfort of the detail. In a contrasting body of work, I deploy a very different mood and quality of attention by applying oil paint directly with my hands, without using brushes or other tools. This allows me to express difficult feelings and embed myself intimately into the artwork. The chaos created through a speedy and messy rendition of people whom I know intimately reflects the physical manifestation of the emotional states I wish to portray. The lack of rigid boundaries further allows for qualities of tactile presence to exist in the work, inviting the viewer to occupy a state of visual feeling.