Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Artist Statement
Before there was theory and doctrine there was story. Stories are memories of what we have learned and do not want to forget. They become our histories, which are recorded verbally and visually. Our bodies remember our stories and the experiences that create our identities, traditions and histories. These intersections make up who we are, and we cannot escape this memory being recorded into our bodies.
I work with photos, mostly portraits, from family albums. These appropreiated images are used as references for my drawings, soaps and photographs. The ritual of the process through the touch and rhythm make the portraits come alive to me. Placing my body inside these vernacular photographs, I assimilate some of their personas, elicit memories, and feel a sense of longing to connect our stories. I see myself in each family portrait and the layers of my identity unravel as I look at these images.
Images are not singular to me. They overlap and become movie clips unraveling my story, and reconstructing my home. When I look at a photograh of my ancestor I feel as though I am looking at a self-portrait. The memory the photograph holds recalls a story about my past. Through their stories I absorb their joy, love, mistakes and pain. Svetlana Boym describes nostalgia in her book The Future of Nostalgia, as “a sentiment of loss and displacement, but it is also a romance with one’s own fantasy.” We all long to belong somewhere.
I work with photos, mostly portraits, from family albums. These appropreiated images are used as references for my drawings, soaps and photographs. The ritual of the process through the touch and rhythm make the portraits come alive to me. Placing my body inside these vernacular photographs, I assimilate some of their personas, elicit memories, and feel a sense of longing to connect our stories. I see myself in each family portrait and the layers of my identity unravel as I look at these images.
Images are not singular to me. They overlap and become movie clips unraveling my story, and reconstructing my home. When I look at a photograh of my ancestor I feel as though I am looking at a self-portrait. The memory the photograph holds recalls a story about my past. Through their stories I absorb their joy, love, mistakes and pain. Svetlana Boym describes nostalgia in her book The Future of Nostalgia, as “a sentiment of loss and displacement, but it is also a romance with one’s own fantasy.” We all long to belong somewhere.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
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