Stars in Our Smile

Exhibition Dates: April 14-17, 2026

BFA Thesis Exhibition by Grace Clarke (Painting)

Artist Statement:

At its core, Stars In Our Smile is about embracing imperfection and oddity.

Through my early years at ISU and even prior, I felt disconnected to my art. It was something I made but didn't own. That changed when I began to release the control of my artmaking process and started following it. After exploring this within my practice, I broadened my artstyle and conceptual craft into a place where I feel most connected to, and one that in my hope, relates to the viewers.

This body of work centers on world-building and character creation within a fabricated universe. I am fascinated by the concept of feeling comfortable in uncomfortability as well as using internet culture and humor to explore the odd parts within oneself. I am inspired by individuality amongst human connection and the special relationships created because of it.

Materially, I work with thin acrylic washes that are translucent. Doing this creates ambiguous forms with no fixed beginning or end. Blobbing, splattering, and dripping paint invites movement and energy, while built-up texture evokes grime, roughness, and a certain discomfort. Ceramic sculptures extend the characters beyond the picture plane, wishfully giving them physical weight and presence. Utilitarian objects push relatability and physical use of this universe. Texture, bumps, and charms of the ceramic surfaces invite exploration through touch. The use of intuitive placement encourages child-like curiosity back into my artmaking process, reinforcing the three-dimensionality of these worlds.

The characters created exist in subliminal spaces. Between the thresholds of reality and fantasy, they reside in their organic forms. The abyss-like gathering of trash and debris encapsulates each character, highlighting their presence against nothingness. The individual body is held in suspension around the empty space. Gestural mark making keeps the atmosphere as unrestrained as possible; breathing and playing alongside the creatures that inhabit it. Through world-building, I invite viewers into spaces where emotions ranging from love to agony mirror our own inner dialogues. I hope this body of work encourages others to sit with, relate to, and embrace their own strangeness rather than hide from it.