Abdiel Urcullo, "We Are"

Abdiel Urcullu Art Exhibition

Mr. Urcullu received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in both Graphic Design and Photography from Sam Houston State University.  His work has been exhibited across the State of Texas in Houston, Austin, and Huntsville.  Mr. Urcullu is the recipient of various awards including the Hal Fulgham Award.  His latest exhibit, We Are, is on display at the Bosque Gallery on the LSC-CyFair Campus until August 12, 2010.  Mr. Urcullu's study of identity is an extraordinary study into human nature.

"We Are" - Artist Statement by Abdiel Urcullu

As an artist, I have always been interested in the concept of identity- how we perceive ourselves, how we prefer to be seen by the outside world, and how others view us.  Everyone struggles with the metamorphosis of the ever changing nature of human character.  As a people, we wear many "masks" showing only as much as we choose to share and hiding as much as we choose to conceal. 

While photographing subjects for We Are, I requested that the participants be as bare as possible and not wear any cosmetics or jewelry.  In spite of my request, some people asked if they could keep something on. They were not letting go, and that fact alone increased my excitement for this project.  The behavior that I observed, as an artist, supports the project's hypothesis that we, as humans, do not allow the manifestation of our true personas, even when asked to do so.

In the installation of the exhibit, the sterility and the lack of human touch is designed to highlight the human condition of isolation from others, a condition that is quite often self-inflicted.  Isolation is often a by-product of filtering our emotions for the outside world. The photographs represent a series of masks, in a closet, that we "dress ourselves" with before we leave home. Although the subjects are void of tangible ornamentation, most participants maintained an intangible façade.