Bio:
Tatiana Florival is an NYC-based artist-filmmaker. She graduated with a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018. Her work has been shown in galleries such as Kunstraum Gallery, Studio 9D, Cohen Gallery at Alfred University, Susan Calza Gallery, and Woods-Gerry Gallery. She has also screened her work in theaters such as the Bijou Theater in New Haven, CT, and at events such as ‘Filmshop Presents: After Hours’. She has had residencies at BRIC, Mass MOCA, and Alfred University, and she also received a Fellowship for Black or Indigenous Artists at MASS MoCA.
Statement:
I create video art that investigates and at times proposes explanations for intangible phenomena, such as death, humanity’s origins, and the connection between mind and body. These films rely on the observation and imitation of systems already present in our world. From there, I translate those systems into imagined worlds, and create narratives of characters who journey through them. This spatial, external journey at the same time leads the characters through quests in their own interior, mental landscapes.
In my work I build miniature landscapes that act as the settings for the videos, and use green-screen technology to composite characters into these constructed universes. The characters in my work are often figures from family photos, self-portraiture, or repurposed imagery of various cultural figures.
I’m excited by the idea of concentrating gigantic topics, such as death and life, into tiny, colorful miniatures and narrative tales. I’m also interested in the construction of my films being visible, as if the video itself is thinking out loud, and building element after element right in front of the viewer’s eyes. Both the visual and thematic content of my work aims to create spaces for enjoyment, shared investigation, and imagination.