My artistic practice focuses on the intersection of art, social justice and storytelling. I'm inspired by the experiences that aren't represented in the headlines, by the voices that haven't been heard.
For all of 2018 and the first three months of 2019, I worked on 9 stippling portraits (3 of which are included in my image list). These pen and ink pieces, accompanied by text written by the subjects, told the stories of 9 survivors of sexual violence. This series was inspired by my own experience with rape when I was 17 years old. For many of these women, their participation in this series was the first time they had spoken publicly about their assault.
With the support of TOMS, I exhibited this series in Brooklyn and Venice last spring. The pieces currently hang at TOMS HQ in Playa Vista and digital representations (as well as stories) are available to view and read online (clairesalvo.com/mewe).
Throughout the process of creating this stippling portrait series, I received messages from women expressing gratitude for sharing deeply resonant words and stories that they had long been unable to share themselves. This year, I hope to continue exploring the power of art and storytelling.
Miami is a vibrant city drowning in color. For the Selina, I would like to incorporate these qualities with the themes that inspire my work, and create paintings and drawings of the people whose life stories are inspired by, inextricably connected to, and a vital part of Miami’s culture. These are community leaders, chefs, other artists, activists.