Gracie Kendal

 Kristine Schomaker

 

"…I have found it difficult to be comfortable in my own skin. My sense of self has become dislodged and torn apart. Through Gracie I have begun to put myself back together."

- Kristine Schomaker


    Gracie Kendal also known as Kristine Schomaker is a Los Angeles based new media and performance artist, painter and art historian.  For over 12 years, she has been experimenting with different art forms including using online virtual worlds and social networking technologies. Kristine's most current work is about the notions of online identity, specifically the construction of Avatars. Her work as a whole stands as an allegory of the relationship between appearance and identity, illusion, belief and reality. Two projects she is currently working on are, "My Life as an Avatar: The Gracie Kendal project" and "1000 Avatars" a contemporary portraits of avatars in the virtual world of Second Life.


     Her first major project she is currently working on is called "1000 Avatars". This project is still in the making and Kristine Schomaker actually has a blog that she uses to keep in contact with her followers and through this blog people give her comments, thoughts, and suggestions on her work. So first off, Kristine is an Second life artist who plays with the relationship between appearance, identity, illusion, belief and reality. She feels like a lot of people who use avatars today are literally approaching it from the point of view that their avatar represents their ‘incarnation’ into the Internet.” In today's world, an avatar is our virtual representation. Many people today are using avatars to give themselves an "alter ego" or a second persona. And because an avatar is secret, it allows people to espace reality and enter a whole different world. "The portraits I am taking have become a documentation of the lives of hundreds of people who to me are fearless. These people (yes I say people, because no matter how we represent ourselves online, we are all people on the other side of the computer) put themselves out there into the brave new world of virtual environments as explorers, searching for anything and everything. They are amazing, creative, soulful people who I am so honored to have in my project" this is what Schomaker said about this project. Second Life offers people the freedom to explore different identities. Experimentation and creativity is welcome. It is a safe environment that allows unlimited freedom to express yourself and consider boundaries/barriers that aren’t readily accepted in the physical world. “Computer screens are becoming the new location for our fantasies… The immateriality of cyberspace dissolves not only space and time, but our identities as well. For some this is a frightening prospect, for others perhaps the beginnings of a new empowerment ", Kristine Schomaker.

Kristine Schomaker is also working on a second project called, "My Life as an Avatar: The Gracie Kendal project". The Gracie Kendal Project is a close-up daily view of a personal, social and psychological co-existence with my virtual persona. Using installation, text, photography, mixed media, video and performance, Schomaker shows herself onto another form and confronts her own imperfections.Kristine Schomaker,"My work deals with the process of becoming self-aware while living in a media-saturated, technologically advancing society. It is symbolic of the personal anxiety and loss of identity occurring in a world where visually aggressive advertisements dictate who you are supposed to be. In this environment I find it difficult to be comfortable in my own skin. My sense of self has become dislodged and torn apart. Through documentation, I construct a narrative of self that represents me and is me, one that helps to deconstruct ideas of normalcy and authenticity".

Kristine Schomaker was originally an Abstract painter but when applying to an art program in college she started playing around with art an Second Life and began to really grow as an artist during this time period. When Schomaker was showing her Second Life art work to a college art professor one day he suggested that she should create an avatar as a self portrait. Growing up Schomaker has always had weight issues, she constantly battled her weight and has been self conscience about her image so when her professor made this suggestion she thought this would be a great way to make a kinda alter ego in the Second Life world. A lot of her work as Gracie Kendal is about body image and self exploitation. Kristine Schomaker says that she has always hated taking pictures of herself and looking at herself but though second life she has really become more comfortable with her self image and through the Gracie Kendal projects she hopes to help others learn to accept and love themselves. Her work in Second Life isn't about losing weight or changing your otter appearance. Through her work she is trying to help others become self accepting and most importantly brave. She would like to help others find peace and grace within themselves.