Cindy Soler

look to your right

The piece “look to your right” is intended to act as a framework which will allow viewers to begin imagining a better world. I used the Communist and Surrealist Manifestos as inspirations to build my own manifesto, one which will encourage viewers to think outside of what we’ve been made to believe in relation to consumer culture and capitalism. Creating my own manifesto is where the intentions, the why, for the full series came together.I used pro-communism propaganda posters from the Cold War to inform the visual language of this piece. A motif I found repeatedly was a dove flying outwards towards the edges of a frame. I utilized this motif in my painting by using a bird with the text “WE ARE / NOT FREE UNTIL / EVERYONE / IS / FREE”. This text is meant to be a call-to-action. One that reminds people that to reach full self-actualization within the oppressive structures of capitalism, we must ensure the most marginalized among us are taken care of and protected. A major exploration of my practice is how reality is manipulated by forces far greater than the individual. I use this perspective to research how capitalism has reshaped our very ways of thinking. One of capitalism’s most effective strategies is its ability to remove people's imaginations. “Look to your right” is meant to give audiences a tool to take back their imagination and begin thinking of the possibilities of a kinder world. The title “look to your right” is meant to be a playful invitation for viewers to look to whoever they’re standing next to. What relationship do they have with this person? What world could they build together?[ALT TEXT]: A collage of various images on a teal background. A bird in the top left corner has text that reads "we are not free until everyone is free".

“What if imagined something more, something kinder?”