Post 3: Art Reveiw: Fatima Flores by Clay Feeley

 Through The Eyes of Self

On artist Fatima Flores by Clay Feeley

Fatima Flores is an artist who has shown an abundance of work in mediums ranging from graphite to digital media. The main subject of her projects is herself. This can be seen as a way to bring herself into the spotlight and clarify her own perception of herself. To take inspiration from yourself is a gift, as you have the privilege to live and be with yourself every day- it's an unlimited reference when it comes to Flores art, it's for herself. 

One of the pieces that stuck out to me was her piece titled “The Feeling of Loneliness,” made in April 2025. It's a one-page charcoal animation, a six-second video where we see half of Flores' face as a thick bubble appears, reminiscing back on an awkward and disheartening interaction. The figure mistakes someone in front of them, saying, “Hey!” as it was intended for the friend behind them, having to accept that they were not the ones being greeted, leaving the character with disappointment.

This is a common experience: waving at someone who was waving to the person behind you, mistaking the interaction. It's an awkward memory, a thought that may appear when you least expect it to. The one-page animation, having to erase and redraw, leaving previous marks and residue, messy and alive but lingering, stands out, bringing it to life. This reminds me how we can't always trust our memories, how they get twisted, blurry, skewed over time, even the smallest memories, such as that interaction.

 The feeling of loneliness is not an unfamiliar one to anyone, and this piece felt like a sudden glimpse of the past, late at night, now unable to shake the heavy weight of embarrassment, and it's interesting how feelings change, from once disappointment to now embarrassment.  

We are constantly asking what is considered art and what isn't, which completely takes away from what art truly is, which is art. There's no definite answer, no box to be put in, and trying to do so just has its meaning fall into the boxes that capitalism has taught us to have. This is not a yes or no answer. Art is everything and nothing all at once; art is art. Flores's work “The Feeling of Loneliness” encapsulates the shiver of cringe when your mind races, the foggy memory coming to haunt, and makes you feel as if you are recalling it yourself. This, we can say, is art.