hayven geary-de los santos
About
Hayven Geary-de los Santos is a self-taught multimedia artist and Peace Corps volunteer currently based in the Junín region of the Peruvian Andes. She is serving as a volunteer in the Community Health sector and hopes to pursue creative projects alongside her community in Apata, Junín, Perú. Hayven studied at the University of Washington and received her BA in Sociology with a minor in Human Services. Her works consist of painting, drawing, and photography often in multimedia format. In the past year, her primary focus has been abstract oil painting, but with the transition to the Peruvian lifestyle and fewer resources, her works have shifted toward pencil drawings and water colors of local flora. The artwork she creates is distinguished by its use of bright, vivid colors and an emphasis on textures.
Statement
The first emotion I can recall feeling is anger. As a child, I was angry to be alive, resentful of my small, rural hometown, and bitter toward my parents for placing me there. I disliked school, could not stand my classmates, and wanted nothing more than to escape—to grow up, move to the city, and be myself. I can recall a conversation with my mother, riding in her jeep on the way home from school and I told her how much I hated everyone in my class. “I hate her, I hate him, I hate them.” And she said, “I can’t believe I’m asking a nine-year-old this, but are you depressed?” I wore black as often as I could and listened to sad music. I was precocious, and from what my friends and family tell me, a bit of an asshole.
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The art I create reflects what I have always longed for: brightness, energy, and light. In making my art, I find power in not denying the darkness inside me but embracing it. I can’t explain why exactly I make abstract art—that’s not the point. The point is to show you not what goes on inside my mind, but what I crave.