SHAUN LEONARDO: Actions Speak Instead of Words


Shaun Leonardo poses for 40 seconds before his lecture
Shaun Leonardo: From Seeing to Witnessing | PLATFORM Event #4, February 11. 2021


 

He started his Zoom lecture at CSUF by going off-script, as good storytellers often do. Leonardo asked his audience to gather information from a pose he struck. He stressed that the pose should be observed, not interpreted. He crossed his arms and turned his gaze upwards as he leaned onto the table. Afterwards, he explained that there was value in his pose, but the meaning could be different for the actor compared to the observer. Regardless of the intended meaning of the gesture, the audience will attribute meaning to it according to their own lived experience. Our perception of things is never pure; we bring our personal past with us. 

Leonardo at Assembly workshop
https://www.recessart.org/assembly/
    Shaun Leonardo structures his artwork around storytelling and what he calls “embodiment,” a way to process and communicate one’s thoughts through action. 

When experiencing hardship, internal dialogues can be difficult to process. Leonardo tackles this issue with the concept of “embodiment.”             Embodying a pose can evoke different emotions or even an understanding that is distinct from that of rational thought. Embodiment is also a way of communicating ideas that are difficult to put into words. This method helps externalize complex feelings of incarcerated or arrested individuals. Assembly, a diversion program in which Leonardo exercises embodiment with court-involved youths, relies heavily on the physical performance or the participants’ stories. Although this practice can be helpful, Leonardo has recognized the risk that preconceived notions can pose on how stories are told. When someone is told they are a criminal, they start to present themselves as a criminal, and end up internalizing that archetype. 

Shaun Leonardo’s two-dimensional artwork also has a performative quality to it. The process of creating works about police brutality, such as the death of Eric Garner, is as important as the final artwork itself. While illustrating the scene, Leonardo forces himself to intensely analyze the details, and consider what would have otherwise been looked past. This is used to parallel how quickly the news cycle passes over victims of police brutality. 

The artist recognizes the power that feeling and focus can hold. They are tools that Leonardo uses to help himself and others express themselves when words cannot. 


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