Arturo Araujo @ artavita

Arturo Araujo

ARTURO ARAUJO
Born in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Araujo joined the Jesuits in 1986 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1999. He moved to the United States in 2001 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Seattle University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts, and an MFA from the University of New Mexico. Currently he, professor of arts at Seattle University, and continues producing his artwork in his own studio, “Inside River Studio”, located at Seattle University Campus.
Araujo’s artwork can be seeing in different venues as the Library of the Congress, the Library of Seattle University, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court House in Albuquerque, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Araujo combines ceramics and printmaking media, compa lex alliance of art, since they are one of the most demanding craft-oriented media. Araujo’s intent is to create a deep work made on multiple layers to talk about the complexity of life and contemporary spirituality. Araujo’s work is a visual meditation that seeks reconciliation and identity, funda amental aspect of his own spirituality as a Jesuit Catholic priest and artist. His work has been shown in Colombia, the USA, Mexico, Italy, and Canada.

Portfolio:

Refletions

Reflections
Artist Statement
Arturo Araujo, S.J

Your Reflection

Sometimes you are caught
Between the intersections
Of you and your reflection
Wondering, about the reality
So much happens between
Exchanges with your reflection
Mirroring what you want to see
And what reality actually is
Try to touch the portrayed image
Segregate the inner reality
And the outer façade for the world
Mirror what you really are
And your reflection will embrace you
Given the clarity, that shatters
The reflection of a reflection
Thus blossoms the image from the heart
Mirror will be glistening with pride
~Amitav Radiance

In this body of work, I explore the reflections of images that speak about those moments in which my awareness of identity awakes. Those awakening insides happen in different ways; sometimes, I am caught between my perception and the reality that surrounds me; other times, the image I perceive of my-self is defined as a projected shadow on a summer day; nevertheless, seen only as a shadow.

All images in this show started as photographs I processed in photoshop to flatten the multiple reflections I captured with my camera. Then, I flattened the various layers of the photos, and then I photoengraved the positive image to produce a print. To the idea of reflection, the technique I applied added another dimension that is the simultaneity of the pictures on a single plane, without distinction of foreground, middle-ground, or background.

“Refletion ”