2023 Senior Exhibition Artists

Alison Paige Borges

Art + Design: Painting

About Alison Paige Borges

Alison Paige Borges is a painting major pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She received an Associate of Fine Arts from Bristol Community College in 2021. Her work often depicts dark, fanciful visions, calling upon the realms of her imagination to visualize her perceptions of the sacred and the secular. Alison is the recipient of the 2023 New Bedford ARTnet Grant.

Statement

As I carve out flesh from shadow, I break barriers between classical figure painting and contemporary mediums with atypical combinations. Mysterious backdrops are inhabited by powerful figures and alluring creatures to convene raw and arcane forces from deep in my subconscious.

My paintings tell a story of empowerment as I explore the intensity of the unknown. These isolated figures allude beyond everyday life to a space that is both spiritual and profane. Although each painting shows dark or adverse subjects, they integrate delicate and ethereal beauty and capture fragmented moments between the sacred and the secular.

Texture, pattern, and color are vital to my work. Odd substances sealed in resin make up the ground of the paintings, contributing to the figure's tonality and form while simultaneously offering a deeper significance. The surface emphasizes color and calls upon the realms of our imagination to question how these strange new domains are constructed. Concepts in the paintings continue to evolve instinctively as I work and attempt to uncover and visualize my own perceptions. There is no definitive narrative, but viewers can translate my visual language to determine the meaning for themselves. I strive to create a visual moment that urges viewers to question their connection to the universe.