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“Journey Through the Rabbit Hole of Migration”

(Pulse, Impulses, and Mitigating the Urgency to Create)
Jiivanii RedMarks

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Artist Statement

Figure 1

Figure 1

Jiivanii RedMarks, 2024

Identity in crisis: personal identity, cultural identity, and national identity

1Migration is synonymous with assimilation in both national cultures, and in the subcultural context. It is imperative to shed the skin of cultural identity, and adorn oneself with the cloak of translocation which supervenes at the national, and parochial rungs, causing the obliteration of ancestral coats of arm.

2Idiosyncratically, Culturally, and Continentally, Art Jewellery facilitates the right of passage to not only adorn oneself with cultural totems, but it also serves as a stabilizer, and as a reminder of who we are, where we descended from, and informs where, and how we advance.

3In the discipline of sculpture, three-dimensional wearable art presents the opportunity of self-sovereignty without interpose to violating cultural norms, or religious precedence, as it disguises as a fashion, and personal-style. Thus; subduing xenophobia, and threats of cultural annihilation, from the perspectives of institutional, political, and border identity.

4Jewellery in art serves as a visual commentary on identity allowing the freedom of expression without confrontation. For therein, hidden messages are notes to self, to the wearer, and an eye-catching adornment that serve to alleviate tension for the observer.

Statement on the Work: “Journey Through the Rabbit Hole Of Migration”

(Pulses, Impulses, and Mitigating the Impulses to Create)

5 Translocation, comes with many challenges, for the arts practitioner, with the most enduring being the inability to capitulate to the impulse to create. The lack of empathy, space, community, tools and materials are challenges to the mental stability of creators, who find themselves at the intersection of Translocation, and the Creative Impulse. In the words of Bob Marley; “Mi belly full but mi hungry. A hungry man is an angry man. A pot of food, but the food nuh nuff…” is a metaphor apropos to the sense of dispiritedness, depression, and aggravation experienced by a Trans-American creative. A creator will decline food, but not the opportunity to create. And; even in the plenteousness of foods, shelter, and clothing, that space of abundance becomes an insufferable perdition without the ability to create. Consequently; the creator must disconnect from a state of comfort to find creative expression, in order to thwart the impeding monster of madness. Because; in a situation without the creative practice, comfort becomes the enemy, the Abyss for the creative.

6 “Journey Through The Rabbit Hole of Migration” (Pulses, Impulses, And Mitigating The Impulses To Create); speaks to a personal struggle to create in a world without a studio. The journey of the Rabbit takes many turns, with each knot being a milestone, but, not necessarily a point of triumph, it could be delays, sabotages, misalignments, moving, and income generating junctures, all of which serves forms of delays. The metallic threads are impulses representing the internal Muse becoming Totems of “silver lining” along the journey to encourage strength and perseverance. The Rabbit journeys into the intestinal track and back, symbolizes the inward search for strength to persist. As the Rabbit intersects a loop, formed by the Muse; ill-fortune transforms into fortune as the Rabbit embraces self-knowledge to forged new skillsets. The skills of crochet, and knitting is a new skillset for the creator and “Journey Through the Rabbit Hole of Migration” is the second project using the medium.

7 It has been less than six months since arriving in New York, from Florida. In that time, I acquired skills in crochet, and knitting, after an amiable lady insisted that I take a bag of yarns that she brought me, ignoring my protests. The impulse to create is the instigator of learning, I learned to crochet and knit.

8Thank you.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Jiivanii RedMarks, 2024

Biography – Jiivanii RedMarks

9Jiivanii RedMarks is a Jamaican fine artist based in the USA. She studied at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts (Kingston, Jamaica); University of the West Indies Creative Arts Centre for Fashion Design (Kingston, Jamaica); Institute of Leather Technology in Holland for Shoe Engineering Design and Modelling; the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Arts, in Pont-Aven France; Jewellery Training at the Boca Raton Museum School of Art, Florida School of Jewellery, and at Jewelry Creations Workshop. Jiivanii also studied International Curation at the Node Center Curatorial Studies Online (Germany), and The Ziegler Academy – Arts Management 101. She recently received a certificate from eCornell University in Women’s Entrepreneurship and is currently perusing a one-year certificate in Journalism from NYU and YellowBrick with part scholarship.

10In 1997, Jiivanii left the world of fashion where she launched her line of sportwear and art gallery under the brand name “AKSHON Sportswear and Fine Art Gallery,” and dove headlong into the world of fine art as a professional fine artist. She had her first solo exhibition (Sold-out) in November of 1997, which rocked the island of Jamaica. She then continued to a second and a third solo exhibition on the Island, which also changed the face of the island’s art scene. Throughout the following years Jiivanii continued to show internationally in group exhibitions (Museums and Institutions) namely Jamaica, USA, Germany, Greece, Estonia and France.

11A National Awardee, Jiivanii is winner of seven national medals, two gold, three silvers, and two bronze and honorary mention in the Festival of Fine arts Photography Competition. Aside from being a photo-media artist, she is also a curator who mounted one of the most spectacular Jewellery Exhibition ever seen in Jamaica, using live models, who were styled by Jiivanii herself.

12Jiivanii RedMarks achievements in Silver Photography is internationally known, and discussed, as she is the only known artist to manipulate the chemistry in the way that she has done.

13Her creativity continued to bloom, to produce a sonic therapeutic CD titled, “INSOMNIAC (The Sonic Sleeping Pill),” which is available on CD Baby and iTunes. Jiivanii decided to reclaim her love for Jewellery and utilize her jewellery making skills, that began at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston Jamaica. Shortly after returning from studies in France, she decided to manifest another of her dreams and founded an art magazine titled Lucienne Lovelette TheArtMagazine Collection International, thus becoming the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director. The magazine is a digital interactive PDF, which features contributions from artists globally. She is a published author (Power Of The Creative Impulse - currently under revision), and expects the publishing of her books in the near future.

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List of illustrations

Title Figure 1
Credits Jiivanii RedMarks, 2024
URL http://journals.openedition.org/angles/docannexe/image/8840/img-1.png
File image/png, 2.9M
Title Figure 2
Credits Jiivanii RedMarks, 2024
URL http://journals.openedition.org/angles/docannexe/image/8840/img-2.png
File image/png, 1.3M
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References

Electronic reference

Jiivanii RedMarks, “Journey Through the Rabbit Hole of Migration”Angles [Online], 19 | 2025, Online since 01 April 2025, connection on 23 June 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/angles/8840; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/13ofw

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About the author

Jiivanii RedMarks

Jiivanii RedMarks is the Author of “Power of The Creative Impulse” (under revision), and the founder, and editor of Lucienne Lovelette The Artist Magazine International, (https://lartmag.wixsite.com/lltheartmagazine) and in preparation BirraBirro International Artists Magazine (https://birrabirro-original.com). Jiivanii, a migrant artist from Kingston, Jamaica, lives and practices in New York, and is currently in a one-year NYU Journalism program.
Artist, Maker, Curator, Reiki Master, and Student of Journalism
Contact: Email: Jredmarks@gmail.com | Tel: +1 305-942-8366 (WhatsApp)

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Copyright

CC-BY-4.0

The text only may be used under licence CC BY 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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