Joviel Buenavente | within the garden of shadows

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Joviel Buenavente, “untitled,” 2024

paper, paint, wire, sand, foam, 12 x 24 in (courtesy of the artist)

within the garden of shadows is a culmination of the past few years of experimentation with paper as a material. Themes of time, mortality, death and grief (specifically disenfranchised grief) are present in these new works. 

The work consists of thousands of hand-crafted plants made from black paper. The laborious process of making each plant serves as a visual representation of time both passed and passing. The use of black paper to depict garden weeds and wild plants creates a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty, while the form maintains a level of familiarity. The richness of the paper allows me to play with shapes and forms alluding to the nature of death.

The work serves as a modern memento mori; a reminder that death is inevitable. The work aims to court the viewer as they contemplate on their own mortality and to act as a catalyst to discuss death and the process of grief.

Joviel Buenavente is an emerging multimedia artist based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Having been exposed to a range of media at the University of Regina, his BFA has largely focussed on the creative and conceptual possibilities of painting, sculpture, and printmaking. He graduated with his BFA in 2020, but continued into the Post-Baccalaureate program to develop a body of work in preparation for his Masters in the near future.

His most recent works: within the garden of shadows; ditch; and  e x  h  a  u  s  t  push the limitations of paper as a material. Themes of time, mortality, death, and grief are present in these new works.