Labyrinth of Mind
Phuong Ngo
Artist statement: "Labyrinth of Mind is a looping animation of a butterfly stuck in a spider web. In many traditions and beliefs, the butterfly is a symbol of change and transformation, a breaking point where one person gets out of their hardship and start a new chapter of their life. On the other hand, spider web would symbolize anything that one might get stuck with and find it hard to get out of. This could be the past, this could be society beliefs, this could also be family’s expectation, or their own comfort zone. The looping animation represents a repeating struggled situation. However, as you can see in this art piece, the butterfly is actually capable of breaking free from the web on its own. Labyrinth of Mind stands for the kind of confusion, indecisiveness, along with the melancholy that we tend to dwell into over time. In this short animation, because it is an open space that is covered with webs and dust, the only main object is a dim glowing butterfly that’s on the verge of giving up its life. I want this depressed scenario to never get resolved so that it will last longer in our mind. When one reads the description of the piece and looks at this whole scene, I hope it would make the audience think about themselves and their own experience in a similar situation. The butterfly here may or may not get out of the spider webs that cling onto it, but the audience can choose whether they want to step up and work on their situation, or just leave it there never resolved. "
Biography
Phuong Ngo is a college student, majoring Digital Media Art in San Jose State University. During her time in school, she learned 3D modeling, html and java coding; so aside from digital drawing, Phuong can also do basic website design, logo design, character design, and fashion design. She is a digital illustrator that started making her earliest works mostly based on fan art and game art. In 2020, she changed her art style into semi-realism, increased her fanbase and started accepting commissions as her second part-time job. She has a good storytelling skill, and has talent in implying parable, lesson, wordplay, symbol, etc. in her artworks. Phuong really tends to include a second layer meaning behind every detail of her work of art, because she personally thinks that is how any artwork becomes a work of art - by being meaningful in the most subtle way.
