Week 6 – Artist Conversation – Isaiah Ulloa

This past week, I met one of the three artist who had been working with artists, Juan Martin and Angel Franco, on the nice pieces of artwork in the gallery, Isaiah Ulloa. He is a very nice young man and with the other artists, he has conveyed a series of messages to which one personally can relate.

At the very beginning, I knew that Isaiah and I had already met in one of the other organizations of the school. I had the opportunity to get to know him better. He is a fifth year Art major who has gained a lot of his inspiration from film, but nothing cinematic. With his inspiration, Ulloa found that he could begin to work with his friends, Angel and Juan, on art. It was a pretty easy transition into artwork as the three had already been hanging out with each other. Isaiah claims to be one of the main initiators as he demanded that they all “be productive”.

One of the main and apparent styles of the art displayed by these three artists is the utilization of the technological advances including scanning and computer modifications. The “face” is a mesh of materialized duplicates of Isaiah’s face, which had been scanned, modified on the computer and then carved to make one object. This 3D object highlights the imagery, as Ulloah claims that it is not only a result of his interest in prostestics, but it is a representation of changing his body and appearance, conveying his personal feelings and self-esteem issues.

Another object with a “deep” meaning is the snow piece, which depicts a very ambiguous message. The being on the ground, which is a replica of Ulloa’s body, could be doing one of many things: crying, sleeping, or hiding. The figure can even be a representation of death. There was also a strong focus on the detail of the snow, as it was a main feature in determining the overall meaning of the scenario and the scenarios of the other pieces of art.

There were also four other pieces of art. Isaiah suggests that the “Gazel toy” or “Gazella” was a result of Juan’s love for animals. The “Egg Soccer Ball” was initially planned to be a regular ball, but then it was morphed into a different kind of ball. The stick/ log was significant in the sense that the object itself can suggest a certain level of ambiguity. The impressive and captivating deer mannequin was a celebrity at the gallery. Its eyes were piercing with their clear reflectors.

In Isaiah’s words, some of the artwork is greatly represents a constant change throughout life. Life is one of the greatest influences of these artists. Ulloah has claimed that Art is one of his biggest passions. He has gone through a series of changing majors, from Psychology to Journalism to Film to Art. He has developed a strong love and passion for art as the creativity is constant and it always excites him. Whether it is his friends on own his own, he can utilize art to portray the struggles that people endure, using himself as a trusting source.