evolving statement

please give me feedback, B! Ideally this weekend still (almost done though, isn't it?). Included here is a picture that will be in a piece i am working on... it is not a piece in and of itself, but I thought you might like to see it in relationship to what we could do over summer. I will probably make it private soon-- it is too late to care right now.

I capture emotionally charged moments of myself in theatrical and densely layered sets. I explore my awareness of myself and the world in relation to personal emotions and experiences. In my scenes, I am in a similar position to a prisoner in Plato’s allegory of the cave. My face is covered, my view shortsighted, unable to look beyond my desires and the situations I have put myself in. The viewer of the work, on the other hand, has a broader view of the scenario unfolding, much more than I can understand from my limited perspective.

My work incorporates sculpture, installation, and performance, although the final product is a photograph. I seek to crystallize an emotionally charged moment. The emotions I represent are intense, immediate and ultimately fleeting; so too are the colors I use, the sets I construct and the materials I use. The sets are ephemeral, ready to be collapsed and stored away.

I layer materials with particular attention to light and shadow. For example, through lighting, a sphere could cast a shadow of a square. Or a flat surface can be made to look three dimensional. Through the layering of forms and the play of light, what is seen becomes unclear, perception is played with. I use photography to flatten out space and further heighten this visual ambiguity. The limit of the a photograph’s frame is an opportunity to play with its boundaries. A form can be out of the picture but its shadow projected and layered onto forms within the frame.

My visual choices support the feelings I aim to depict. Although arising from specific emotions and experiences, I hope these scenes are compelling, enigmatic and open-ended enough to be relatable.

P.S.-

whoa, I think those photos are beautiful. so pttttthhh. Surprised actually that you say that. Interested to hear specifically why.

photoness.

those photos are interesting but not particularly my taste...i think they're not formally beautiful enough for me. anyway, i am interested in hearing more about that crit. i think it's a little hairy when you adopt a medium like photo and then have photographers look at your work. it's a weird space. obviously, i've seen it happen, only the medium was clay.

so i am writing a proposal shortly about our potential collaboration, basically i want to work together with the hopes of generating some photos

LUKAS SAMARAS

Lukas Samaras Photo-Transformation (1973-1976)

Link to his biography

I just got suggested him in my already infamous crit.

Alek

Anne Walsh, take two.

is there a place to see her videos? i couldn't figure it out on her website.

you know what i loved, though? the part on the home page where is said

MORE?

YES.

i clicked it repeatedly. it felt strangely subversive.

worklifelove.

ann walsh...beautiful stuff but almost on the edge of being too sterile for me. but megan might love her. the colors are really lovely. i love the fact that they are freestanding objects instead of being on the wall.

okay, so i want to see that doc. i don't have netflix anymore so if you could lend me your password at some point that would be great.

i also saw a documentary at NCECA, called "who does she think she is?" it is about female artists and the balance (or lack thereof) of family and creative practice and how these things are not supported in the same manner as they are with male artists. it was a really good, cathartic experience for me, but pretty much reiterated what i already knew to be true. it's depressing, really. i resent the decisions i feel like i am being forced to make in order to have a creative life. i don't actually feel i could give my studio practice the attention it deserves and have a family at the same time. i came to this conclusion at age 12, and i still feel the same way. it makes me sad, but it's a decision that i'm mostly okay with.

Sam Wagstaff + Robert Mapplethorpe

Just saw "Black White Gray:  A portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe "

I think that some of the content the striking images and perhaps the subject matter could resonate with both of us--
I could really see my work addressing sexuality more... in combo with the spiritual side of things that will always be there.  Like in my newest image, you haven't seen how it normally looks.  There is this big spike in my crotch.
Mapplethorpe reminds me anything is possible.
The photos Wagstaff collected were incredible---  some so captivating.  You need to watch this documentary.  Has patti smith in it a lot (I bet you like her?).  Available for instant viewing on netflix.  Maybe I can even give you my netflix password to watch if you don't have netflix anymore.
Documentary is inspiring and haunting.  I am letting all these possibilities creep into my view of things and it is kind of scary but also kind of titillating.

Ohh I just met Anne Walsh last week (CHECK OUT HER WORK).  She has a tattoo that looks a lot like the tattoos you posted.  A student tattooed her for a project the student was doing.  It is what darwin had on his hand. A two word phrase that was actually kind of sweet even though it was something that meant humans are no more than animals.. sweet in that it was darwin being humble... something "never better"  or something like that.  Right in the area between her thumb and first finger.

skin art.

oh my god. this blew my mind. i wish i could've read the whole article on WWD, but it's subscription based. her website is here, with her whole portfolio. her MFA is in photo from U of Wash.