Linda Sibio
Economics of Suffering, Part IV
Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
October 1, 2023 — January 7, 2024
Video by L.A. Art Documents / www.laartdocuments.com
Text Source: https://www.craftcontemporary.org/exhibitions/linda-sibio-economics-of-suffering-part-iv/
Economics of Suffering: Part IV is the final installment in artist Linda Sibio’s interdisciplinary series exploring the psychological effects of wealth disparity, extreme poverty, and class suppression within contemporary society. Combining visual art, installation, and performance, Sibio explores the psychological toll of rampant capitalism and diminishing resources on those most vulnerable – the mentally disabled, the elderly, people living in poverty, and other disenfranchised populations suffering from homelessness, hunger, racism, and violence. As the artist describes, “I am interested in how money controls the masses, and forces poverty on people. In this series of works I look at the psychological effects of forced poverty that causes people to age prematurely, have heart attacks at a younger age, and die early; and how low wages cause depression, suicide, and post-traumatic stress syndrome.”
The exhibition includes a range of works: large paintings, multimedia installations and interactive works, and many of Sibio’s ink drawings which embody the conceptual development of her ideas and document the system of “glyphs” Sibio has constructed to form her own, unique visual vocabulary. Having been diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of eighteen, Sibio has developed her design process from research into the perceptions of the insane, a philosophy she has termed “The Insanity Principle.” Sibio transforms what are considered symptoms of insanity – such as fragmented thinking, non-linear time sequencing, dismemberment, delusions, and hallucinations – into a method for enhancing her creative process and making experimental art. This results in Sibio channeling her thoughts and emotions into highly intricate, saturated works with a distinct mode of narrative construction and visual overlaying.