Originally from Costa Rica, Bianca Shonee Arroyo (aka Shonee) is a digital media artist based in Montreal. In the virtual worlds she creates, 3D representations of organisms borrow shapes, colors and stories from the plants and animals of our world, yet remain unique, as her representations seek to embody humanity's seemingly objective and limited understanding of nature in an age of ecological crisis.
"My practice is inspired by personal experiences of uprooting - moving unexpectedly from Costa Rica to Canada during my childhood profoundly influenced my relationship to nature, as I lived on the edge of the jungle before arriving in an exceptionally gray, concrete suburb in the dead of winter. As I adapted to this environment, the concept of the natural world became for me a strange construct, situated somewhere between memory and imagination, tangible reality and media representation. Having never owned a television before, I quickly became fascinated by the captivating presence of screens, finding solace in watching wildlife documentaries whenever I felt homesick. This experience showed me that technology could be a powerful tool for connection, creating a portal through which I could interact with previously inaccessible environments. This has since become a fundamental aspect of my creative process. "
Her practice as a whole focuses on redefining humanity's perception of nature, particularly in the context of rapid technological advancement and related environmental change, amplified through multimedia installations involving 3D animation, multi-channel video, sculpture, sound, speculative narratives and large-format printing. By placing the natural world in a virtual context, the worlds she creates seek to provoke reflection on sustainable utopian futures through satirical alienation. At a time when ecosystems are rapidly disappearing and technological advances are accelerating, her installations explore how digital interfaces - tools of connection - can be used to connect individuals to nature at a distance. His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries such as the William Morris Gallery (programmed by Tate Liverpool) in London, PRIOR Art Space in Barcelona and Platforms Project in Athens. Nationally, his work has been shown at the Whippersnapper Gallery in Toronto and the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, as well as locally at OPTICA: center d'art contemporain, MUTEK, Society for Arts and Technology, OBORO and the Grantham Foundation for the Arts and the Environment. Recent honors include EQ Bank's Emerging Digital Artists Award in 2021, the Grantham Foundation Visual Arts Award and the RBC Emerging Artist Grant.
