Beauty In The Darkness
Socorro Saturnino
A Space Windows
November 9, 2024 – January 2, 2025
The Beauty in the Darkness photography series, shot in-studio with natural subjects, sees possibility behind neuroaesthetics in activating humanity’s connection to Nature amid man-made climate disaster. As an expanding field, neuroaesthetics is the study of how art—or aesthetic experiences—affect activity in the brain from a psychological, biological, and evolutionary perspective. Here, art and aesthetic experiences are seen not only as foundational aspects of our humanity but also as essential to our well-being and thriving as a species. The purpose of this series is to capture the inherent beauty of Nature and stimulate the viewer to, first, reflect on their own perception of value and beauty, and second, recognize their personal responsibility to Nature—through the illumination of what the artist sees as the viewer’s own inner light.
The series draws on Socorro’s childhood love for the wilderness and experiences in Kenya, where he noticed a common practice of repurposing materials. For example, people ingeniously transformed old tires into shoes called “akalas,” or converted metal cans into cooking stoves called “jikos.” In contrast, upon Socorro’s relocation to Canada, he was inundated by a culture of consumerism generating massive amounts of landfill waste. According to statistics from the Government of Canada, between 2002 and 2020, the total amount of solid waste generated in Canada increased by 5.3 million tons (or 17%) to 36 million tons. In a world that feels increasingly bleak, this series visualizes Dr. Martin Luther’s famous words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
Through neuroaesthetic experience that has its basis in our evolutionary past, this series encourages viewers to find their inner light as they face being engulfed by the most overwhelming issue of our time, as a beacon to defy the encroaching darkness.
Biographies
Socorro Saturnino is a visual artist, fine art photographer, and technologist exploring art as a vessel for positive change by working at the intersection of art, technology, beauty, and Nature. While studying photography at the Toronto Metropolitan University, Socorro is currently developing two new photographic projects. Socorro has exhibited as part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Exhibition at Helio Gallery (Virtual Exhibition); the Space Project by MakeRoom (Virtual Exhibition); and the Chang School Annual Photography Exhibition at Art Square Gallery in Toronto, ON. In the spring of 2023, his solo exhibition of photographic works was on view at the Toronto Public Library Art Exhibits at Yorkville Library in Toronto, ON.