I Will Find

From my 2013 internet-based project, “I Will Find”

“Well (Nailed it.),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 4″ x 6″

GIF of "What continuous" video for I Will Find

“What isn’t obvious (do you need my help?),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 11″ x 8.5″

“The exact same (I feel the exact same way),” 2013, encaustic on panel with archival digital print photograph, 8″ x 10″

“Said, sincerely (My tiny blackened heart breaks),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 12″ x 12″

Ruiz-Kim, “Here”, 2013, encaustic on plaster form, 3″ x 4″ x 4″

Everything, 2013, archival print still life, 8″ x 10″

In February 2013, I made daily artwork that responded to research of people’s interactions across as many online platforms as I could think of. I searched for kindness in the most contentious online discussions. Did kindness change anything? How much hostility would I have to sort through to find goodness? Each day, I searched for one source interaction, then made one artwork based on the source. I documented the experiences throughout the month, and concluded with 28 new artworks.

Screenshots from the website (now found at www.iwillfind.wordpress.com). Showing: the About page, a sample page from one of the 28 daily posts, the intro post about the project, then four end-of-week recaps along with a few in-between posts.

Source text compilation, “I Will Find” project, 2013. Comments from news articles, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube; forum chats from mental health support, a journalist’s website, 4chan, and Stormfront.

“Well (Nailed it.),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 4″ x 6″

“Around there (hope she wins the race),” 2013, mixed media collage on paper, 9″ x 12″

This time (Let this be your healing)

“This time,” 2013, archival digital print, 8″ x 10″

“Here (Rest well),” 2013, encaustic sculpture, 4″ x 3″ x 4″

“Disparate places (You’re both truly angels),” 2013, gouache on panel, 12″ x 9″

“What listening looks like (I don’t think you read my comment or you were responding to someone else),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 11″ x 8.5″

What continuous (I like exchanging ideas)

“Every time (I needed that so badly),” 2013, gouache on panel, 9″ x 12″

“Said, sincerely (My tiny blackened heart breaks),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 12″ x 12″

“Right there (I will be there),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 11″ x 8.5″

“Certainty (You’re doing it right.),” 2013, gouache on panel, 4″ x 6″

“The exact same (I feel the exact same way),” 2013, encaustic on panel with archival digital print photograph, 8″ x 10″

“What isn’t obvious (do you need my help?),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 11″ x 8.5″

“From a questionable place (you seem to be angry, why so?),” 2013, encaustic collage on paper, 9″ x 12″

“Somewhere, anonymously (yeah I understand, some has faded for me but a lot is still there),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 7″ x 5″

“Gathering (You all offer collective support),” 2013, collage photograph on paper, 4″ x 6″

“Almost (I hope so),” 2013, encaustic collage on paper, 9″ x 12″

“This movement (I try not to be like that anymore),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 10″ x 8″

“This unwanted (I hope it continues to increase),” 2013, encaustic sculpture, 11″ x 8″ x 4″

“Is there (where he belongs),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 10″ x 8″

“Been where (its ok, we’ve all been there),” 2013, graphite on paper, 9″ x 12″

“Everything,” 2013, archival digital print, 8″ x 10″

“Please (everything takes time),” 2013, graphite and encaustic collage on paper, 12″ x 9″

“What is known (first off, everything is going to be fine),” 2013, encaustic on panel, 9″ x 12″

Maritza Ruiz-Kim

I Will Find

I Will Find