"Trapped in Elegance" 3D Art Series by Bee Grandinetti and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero

This series was a collaboration between Bee Grandinetti and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero.

Bee Grandinetti Artist Statement:

A while ago I was feeling quite frustrated about a project that had a major direction shift on design and I suddenly caught myself having to draw a bunch of skinny women. It's not a message I stand behind (we're all so tired of that) and it really pained me I couldn't make them more diverse, chunkier and real.

But I had to swallow it up and get used to drawing more "elegant" and thinner shapes for the project. And as I was getting more familiar with the style, I drew a few extra sketches to vent my frustration too: anonymous faceless women trapped in boxes, their bodies as empty vessels for "beauty".

It was good therapy, but I ended up forgetting about these sketches for a while. Then earlier this year I was feeling quite low on creative drive and decided to revisit some old drawings to see if anything would spark a flame. I saw these ladies again and had a hunch they could actually look cool in the 3D, so I asked Lizzie if she would be up for a little collab. I was stoked she said yes and BAM, this series happened :)

Role: Design and color grading.
http://www.beegrandinetti.com/

Elizabeth Ku-Herrero Artist Statement:

This collaboration started as a conversation about the frustrations of working as a woman in the animation industry. When Bee came to me with these designs, I felt so deeply for her story and message. The series has been an extremely important project for my journey not just as an artist but also as a Mixed Race woman of color.

At the tail end of this project, I was happily working on this and stopped for a second to peruse the good ol’ gram. My heart dropped with another massive intake of news covering violence against Asians. My stomach felt queasy. I pushed away from my computer and crumpled up in my partner’s arms to cry. Two hours later, I was dancing my heart out, jumping up and down and screaming with joy because I had finished the project.

An absolutely transformative realization smacked me in the face like a ton of bricks. I began to realize how much I connected to the very artwork I was creating mid project. I have been trapped by these boxes- expectations, categories, stereotypes: all of society. I struggled to make a series of monoracial women because I don't exist within those boxes. I struggled to make any artwork that made a statement about women because I felt the pressure to create work that everyone could accept. The violence against Asians has been a reminder of how the world has taught me to hate myself. But it is only in realizing that I've lived within a box that I have learned I can break it.

And so this piece to me is a love letter to everyone in the world who has ever felt trapped. It is also an open invitation for future collaborations!

Role: 3D Modeling/Shading/Groom/Lighting/Compositing
https://elizabethkuherrero.com/