Esther Candari, a senior from Kaneohe studying painting and sculpture, displayed her original art that she described as reflections of vulnerability in the McKay Auditorium lobby during the week of Oct. 4.
“To create good art, one has to have a certain degree of vulnerability,” said Candarai. “To communicate and to help people, one has to be vulnerable and open. Becoming an artist is really just a process of becoming vulnerable.”
Every piece of art on display included a small, written composition. Candari said these were from her past journal entries. “If I have a really emotional experience, I try to write about it, and I thought it would be a good idea to add that into my show,” she said. “A lot of my art pieces stemmed from me having an emotional experience and creating something out of that.”
Candari explained, “I wanted to do a show where I was really forced to be vulnerable, and a show where I would have to put intimate experiences and pieces out there for everybody to see.”
Austin Stanley, a freshman from Utah studying business, said she liked how Candari described vulnerability. Stanley said, “I really like how bold she was with her pieces. In one of her writings, she said, ‘It is vulnerability when you have the courage to step forward, even when you know that step will place your back against the wall.’”
Ema Romberg, a junior from California studying accounting, attended the art show for personal interest. She said, “I thought it was interesting how she was able to display vulnerability through objects and artwork. I always thought of vulnerability as something emotional and intangible, and this gave me a new perspective.”
Candari said she had always been very independent and self-reliant in her childhood years, and she wasn’t a fan of the idea of relying upon others. According to Candari, she discovered later in life the asset of exposing certain ideas and feelings—showing vulnerability.
UPDATE (October 12, 2016): Candari's work will be on display until Oct. 22.
Writer: Zoe Rounesville