Kaya Greer
This is Us
Prompt: We had to find something in common with our partner and combine painting and sculpture in some way to represent a chosen word that was meaningful to both of us. I did the painting, and Simone did the sculpture.
Painting was done on canvas with acrylic.
Homage, 2025
Homage is about the kind of friendship that feels unbreakable, even when distance gets in the way. Simone and I both have best friends who have become such a big part of us that they almost feel like extensions of ourselves. The red rope in our piece stands for that connection, and the length of the rope shows the physical distance that separates us.
The painting represents Hannah, My Best friend, symbolizing a personal experience she had. Her passion is theater and she is a very creative person. She was committed to NYU for a BFA in theater through early decision. But as the deadline got closer for options to commit to another school, a feeling of stress and confusion overcame her. She had to decide on if she should continue with the challenging program pursuing what she loved, as well as being near me. Or if she should stay near home to be with her buddhist, single father and the more practical and financially stable option, but sacrifice her dream of being in New York and acting. She destroyed herself for months and felt torn by what decision to make. She had to choose between the responsibility she feels for her father, her passion, creativity, rationality, distance, and dream. In the end, she had to go to UC Berkley, a great school, just not for what she is passionate about.
The artwork is also a reflection of Simone’s best friend, Zoya. The Buddha represents Simone, as she is calm and more level-headed, while the surreal teapot heart stands for Zoya, who’s much more outgoing and full of energy. Even though they are really different, the string connecting the two paintings shows how they are still tightly linked.