As a multidisciplinary artist, I try not to be limited by any one medium. Some of the methods I enjoy using include acrylic, watercolour, ink, collage, textiles, print, sculpture, photography, as well as video. I often enjoy using found or reclaimed materials from the land such as scrap fabrics and yarn, dried flowers, wood, and ethically-sourced teeth, antler and bones to create my work. I am moved by scenes from the natural world, as well as humanitarian issues ranging from intersectional feminism to environmentalism, to gender and sexuality as well as mental health. With these topics in mind, I am inspired to create visually stunning pieces which evoke raw, visceral emotion from the observer.
My vision for this residency is to capture the beauty that unfolds when given the opportunity to explore one’s body within its primal state – a state in which our North American society deems shameful and unacceptable. But there is no need for it to be perceived this way. Nudity does not always have to be sexual in nature. It can be intimate in the sense that one can connect deeply with their surroundings. We must ask ourselves: how can we care for and love the earth when we cannot relate to it? It is in this primal state that we are most vulnerable and open to connection with our natural environment; It is in these moments that our nakedness allows us to be free. I also wish to open up the minds of people to the concept that they should be unequivocally unashamed of their bodies, no matter what form they take. Through a series of “body prints / paintings” and photographic imagery, I wish to evoke these messages and inspire people to bond with the environment in their own natural states, so that they too may learn to love, explore, rebel, and ultimately, be free.
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Emilia Wilson is a queer, disabled, emerging multidisciplinary artist born and raised in London, Ontario. At a young age, Emilia attended a specialized school for the arts where she was able to express herself through choir, orchestra, theatre as well as the visual arts. She continued these specializations in high school where, ultimately, her teachers strongly encouraged her to go on to study Fine Art at Fanshawe College’s School of Design. Since Wilson’s post-secondary training, she has had the opportunity to travel across Canada to display her craftsmanship. Her productions have been incorporated into public and private, international collections.