Exploring Identity Loss: An Interview with Ciane Xavier

November 20, 2019

Ciane Xavier is a sculptor whose work is highly detailed and intriguing. She discovered her inner artist later on in life and now focusses on the feelings of identity loss and reconstruction that she experienced during her previous career as an international model. Since her inner artist discovery, she taught herself to paint and sculpt… learning about different materials and integrates them into her work.

Through pop culture Ciane explores the boundaries of today’s society, touching upon globalisation and the distractions of the millennial era. The lonely and desolate characters serve as exploration of the human soul, symbolising power, fragility and eternity but retaining a sense of vagueness to encourage a dialogue between the art and the viewer.

Do you think your career as an international fashion model has helped your art practice?

Definitely it has, all my inspirations came from those experiences I had during. I felt like my “cultural and personal” identity was lost; and the body shaming culture that happens in that world.

Why did you choose to reflect the “process of identity loss and reconstruction” in your work?

I think because I was constantly traveling at young age, constantly stuck up on the world I was in that somehow made me lose my identity. I kind of lost my self on the way and I think in some way it reflects in my artwork; some sort of me trying to reconstruct my own self.

When you first encountered your inner artist while painting the walls of your new apartment, what form of art and creating were you drawn to? And what forms did you create?

It was more like drawings and doodling, more of 2D flat figures, but the ideas are still the same ones I have now- it’s the techniques and mediums that have evolved.

How has your practice progressed from the first artwork you’ve ever made?

At first, it was black and white drawings, and then it become paintings, and paintings became sculptures.

How long did it take to self-teach yourself painting and sculpting until you were at a level that you were happy with? Or are you and your practice still growing?

It took me 3 years to be the level I am at, but the reasons why it is because I am very obsessed about it. I research about it everyday then I practice it the whole day as well. I am so obsessed that I have dreams about it. It’s also nice because I have some base on materials that I use now when I was still in school for Interior Design. My work is still evolving and I’m not yet where I want to be in terms of practice and techniques, and pushing the boundaries of using new materials.

What is your creative process? How do you find inspiration for your artwork?

My work starts in the computer; digitally always, and then I materialize it. As for my inspirations, it comes from the people around me, pop culture, social problems, globalisation and the distractions we face today in our millennium Era.

Your website states that you “explore the boundaries of today’s society”, what main boundaries in today’s society do you think will have a negative future impact on society and the way we view the world?

I think it’s the victimisation of our environment; from our consumption culture. I think we consume too much and we take too much from Earth and it’s living creatures.

What dialogue do you wish to encourage between the art and the viewer? Do you always have something in mind when you create your artworks or is it something that you leave open to the viewer to decide?

My goal is to question the viewer. My work is a human reflection lost in the conquest of their true selves. I want the viewer to see an inner mechanism that we rarely attempt to understand and see ourselves. I want it to invite you to look at yourself in the mirror.