The label below will be present in the exhibition alongside this piece. It is provided here so that fans submitting fanworks know in advance how fandom will be discussed in this project. However, fandworks do not need to take into account the below information and should be inspired by or responding to the piece of art alone: 

Paula Otegui 
Argentine, b. 1974 
El Pajaro (The Bird), 2012 
Acrylic on canvas 
47 1/4 x 35 1/2 in 
2015.1.1 
Gift of the artist and Dean Jensen Gallery 
 

Paula Otegui is an Argentinian cultural observer and eclectic painter with an eye on the subconscious. Her art depicts unlikely connections between networks, systems, and cultures, and considers how they might function as metaphors for human relationships. Her goal is not to convey a social message, but instead to make her viewer feel impacted by her vision of the sublime in the human experience. Otegui invites her viewers to reflect on the chaotic spaces and gaps that connect seemingly unrelated fragments and creatures in The Bird, and question: “What would we be without relationships? Isn’t the human experience defined by our exchanges with one another?” 

Connections, Theories, Superstitions, and Predictions 

Thanks especially to the internet, fan theories abound. These might take the form of celebrity gossip, predictions of who’s going to win the big game, or breakdowns of trailers for upcoming movies and TV shows. Creating theories provides an opportunity for fans to insert themselves into the creation of their fandom, as well as to show off their fannish knowledge. Correct fan predictions can earn fans limited fame and cultural capital within their fan communities.