Into a Kaleidoscope                          

Paola González Zapata


Paola González Zapata is a multimedium artist born and raised in Mexico. When Paola was six years old, a book company came to her school and asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up and why. Paola answered that she wanted to be an artist because she liked drawing her and her loved ones’ favorite things. One day, Paola even drew a car’s engine for her dad. Over the years, Paola discovered that she was also good at maths, ballet, and writing, so the dream of becoming an artist faded away. At age 19, Paola moved to Toronto to study International Development Studies at York University. The city’s art scene inspired Paola to do art again, so she added the Art, Media, Performance, & Design minor to her degree. After that, Paola started experimenting with digital drawing, sculpture, photography, painting, and creative writing. In an ongoing process of discovering her own style, Paola describes it as Southern gothic, punk, hyper-feminine, and tacky, with inspiration from Frida Kahlo, Tracey Emin, Remedios Varo, Rosario Castellanos, Fiona Apple, Sofia Coppola, Shakira, Jean Paul Gaultier, and others. Paola sees art as a way to be vulnerable and express her feelings and as a medium to speak out about social matters, even if it seems grotesque.

@terciopelo_verde
“Teratoma”

A teratoma is a type of germ cell tumor known for containing pieces of hair, teeth, fat, and muscle (Clevland Clinic). On rare occasions, teratomas can develop fragments of more complex structures like liver, lungs, brain, and eyes (Clevland Clinic). The latter is possible because teratomas are formed by germ cells, the only kind in the human body that can turn into any other type of cell (Clevland Clinic). Germ cells are predominantly located in reproductive organs, therefore, in young people, most teratomas appear in the ovaries and testicles (Clevland Clinic). Teratomas are mostly non-cancerous, but some can become cancerous; still, they cause pain, bleeding, and swelling, among other more specific symptoms (Clevland Clinic).  “Teratoma” is a symbolic metaphor for self-sabotage. A teratoma is a tumor that grows quietly in the very interior of the human body, generally going unnoticed. However, when morbidity pushes one to look at it, the grotesqueness is unbearable. Most teratomas are not malignus or mortal, but they can be, they can destroy oneself from the inside. “Teratoma” exposes the viewer to the ugliness that inevitably lives in our interior and that we often refuse to see and accept, whether it is literal or not. The piece has no symbols replacing components, as it aims to be straightforward and realistic. Therefore, aesthetically, it is just as disgusting and disturbing as a photograph of a real teratoma. “Teratoma” makes the audience uncomfortable, just as self-sabotage does. It is not beautified in any way; instead, it makes the flowers posing in the vase seem unattractive, a pretty person obnoxious, or leaves a scar on the abdomen.