Where do you find comfort? Is it home? Friends and family? Filipino artist Kim Borja would like to help you find it. Her work revolves around that respite from anger and anxiety, creating a cozy space to be at peace with your feelings and validating them.
Borja’s To Live Forever series consists of life-sized blue-and-cyan acrylic paintings depicting doe-eyed girls in fluffy dresses, buckle shoes and ribboned headbands. They’re surrounded by fuzzy rabbits and warm amber tones. “Their clothes are inspired by my wardrobe, it’s how I dress,” Borja explains. “So you can say the characters are actually me.”
从哪里寻找生活的慰藉，是家、家人还是朋友？菲律宾艺术家 Kim Borja 希望帮助你找到答案。她的作品旨在从愤怒、焦虑的情绪中打出一片安全的氧气空间，帮助你心平气和地接受与理解自己的境遇和感受。
由 Kim 创作的《To Live Forever》（永生）系列包含多幅成人身高大小的靛蓝色调丙烯画卷，画中的主人翁都是天真无邪的少女，她们佩戴丝质头饰、穿着蓬松裙子和玛丽珍鞋，毛茸兔子和温暖的琥珀色系包裹在身边。Kim 解释道：“人物的服装和造型其实参考了我平时的穿搭，而这些角色也许就是我自己。”
Borja’s character never smiles outright and generally wears a concerned and tired expression. In one piece, she’s drowning in negative thoughts, and in another, she’s crumpled in the fetal position. You might find her swinging a hatchet trying to bury a spiraling negativity, or maybe she’ll be searching for answers in the storm clouds above. Despite these struggles, it’s clear that she’s in her safe space, wrapped in elements from her childhood that allow her to process these feelings without judgment or being rushed.
她笔下的女孩看起来并不怎么开心，从不袒露笑容，反倒是带着焦虑与疲惫的神情，一副心事重重的模样。她们沉浸于消极的想法中无法自拔，将身体蜷缩成婴儿的模样；时而又挥舞着手中的斧头，试图埋葬笼罩心间的消极；又或试图在头顶的乌云中寻找答案。虽然看得出不少不愉快的成分，但 Kim 所描绘的正是她的安全空间，这里充满了童年时的回忆，她无须顾虑他人的评论或催促，独自安静地消化这里的氧份。
The rabbits that float about are also from Borja’s home life, inspired by pets that her late grandma kept. “I was actually a lola’s girl when she was still alive,” she recalls fondly. “I couldn’t eat as a kid unless she was sitting with me. I realized I still often seek her comfort, so I made a rabbit toy to find that safety.” The bunny style was influenced by Japanese artists Miro Umeki and Schinako and the yellows are intentional bursts of warmth, spaces and things that glow with a smiliar safety and solace.
环绕在画面四周的兔子源于 Kim 的家庭生活经历，是曾经奶奶家里养的宠物，如今已不在人间。“它还在世时，我非常粘它，” Kim 深情地回忆道，“小时候，我都要它坐在我身边才肯吃饭。我意识到自己至今仍然渴望从它那里获得慰藉，所以我做了一个玩具兔子以作纪念，重获这份安全感。”兔子形象的灵感来自日本艺术家 Miro Umeki 和 Schinako 的作品，兔子身上的黄色色调是为了营造温暖，点亮着那些散发着熟悉的安全感，与冷淡的画面对比鲜明。
Painting is a coping mechanism for Borja, providing relief and distraction from anxiety and negativity in general. And the finished work is a reminder, for herself and viewers, that our feelings—even the bad ones—are valid. “It’s okay to get angry, it’s okay to grieve. But we need to keep pushing through and continue,” she explains. ”I use my art to connect with the people suffering from their feelings and being shut down by others.”
绘画是 Kim 应对焦虑和消极情绪的一种机制，帮助她缓解压力并转移注意力。她的作品旨在提醒自己和观众：我们的所有感受，包括负面的情绪，都是生活中正常发生的。“我们可以生气，也可以难过，但我们需要继续克服这些情绪，然后继续生活，”她解释说，“我想透过我的作品，与那些受情绪困扰且与世隔绝的人建立起情绪的联系。”
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Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
