"Imperial Crawlers No. 01" (2025)

WiL Vélez, Imperial Crawlers No. 01, 2025.

acrylic on wood panel

artwork: 8 x 10 x 1/4 in (20.32 x 25.40 x .635 cm) 

overall dimensions (framed): 9 7/8 x 11 7/8 x 3/4 in. (25.083 x 30.163 x 1.905 cm)

This painting includes a 1 in. (2.54 cm) profile wood frame in matte black.

With Imperial Crawlers Nos. 01 & 02, I continue a recurring exploration of the small creatures that inhabit my domestic world—this time turning my attention to spiders. The compositions are inspired by real-life observations: webs spun in and around a collection of replica Chinese imperial vases I began acquiring in 2020. These vessels, rich in decorative symbolism and historical weight, connect directly to my fascination with the art-historical period of Orientalism—marked by Western interpretations and frequent misrepresentations of Eastern aesthetics in decorative arts and design.

Here, I position myself consciously as a postmodern observer and interpreter. Each spider silhouette is adorned with a unique Chinese dynastic motif, suggesting both the individuality of these ever-returning intruders and the complexity of their movements. Their pathways are rendered in dynamic, linear forms that evoke the webbing they construct—yet also echo the “crackle” effect of aged porcelain glaze, obscuring the line between surface decoration and organic trace.

By fusing insect and ornament, disruption and beauty, I invite viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the natural and the artful, the foreign and the familiar.

This is a unique, original artwork. Its image, like all images on this website, is the copyright of ©️WiL Vélez. All rights reserved.

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