INDIVIDUATION/ Artist Statement

new work by Lea Bodea

“Individuation is taking the path towards the self"... 

This branch on my path of INDIVIDUATION began in 2016 when I relocated to Baltimore City. Since then, I have built an extensive portfolio of work that demonstrates the imagery and spiritual themes I have encountered along the way.    

The impact of the pandemic has done many things for many people. We've had the opportunity to examine who we are, what we do, what we consume or what we pursue. I turned 50 years old in January of 2021, and was going through a very intentional, conscious deconstruction of the ego/false identities I had associated myself with and immersed in painting at that time.    

Through those months of deeper self-exploration, I emerged with an understanding that my resonance, my vibration, and my spiritual centeredness is ALL that I am and with a greater awareness of how that flows into the larger collective consciousness. 

My artistic vision and creative expression of the work presented in INDIVIDUATION reflects that newer understanding.  The use of circles in my artwork has come to serve as a touchstone or grounding point to those lessons. And no matter how abstract I can get in my thinking or the painting, the shape or symbolism of that circle is planted somewhere in the composition.   

After a move to Baltimore County, at the beginning of 2023, I began a series of work that includes elements of collage to enhance the visual representation of my ideas. Using collage allows me to fully explore these more conceptual elements I gravitate toward. 

Combining collage with paint and integrating paper images into the larger composition of the work allows me to play with the ideas of what’s ‘real’ and ‘unreal’, while working through the awkward transition or intersection between my interior and exterior worlds.   

“Each of us is part of the whole web of life and the process of individuating makes one aware of this wholeness and the unity of all. The process also makes us aware of the unconscious...working toward individuation leads us to a deeper sense of connection with others and fosters a desire to serve others.” -Edward Edinger