ARTIST STATEMENT:
Using mixed-media collage and photographic self-portraiture, my work seeks to deconstruct - then reassemble - image, text, and time in the form of visual diary. I weave historical and personal narratives to explore gender stereotypes and archetypes while creating intimate stories of women, through fiction and autobiography. I use "found narrative" such as a piece of a story, a letter, or an overheard conversation, to record and create still frames - fragments of a larger story. I like to think of my work as a lost love letter one accidentally finds between the pages of an old book, a text that leaves one with an intimate glimpse into a story, fragmented, secretive, humorous and melodramatic.
About the Process:
I’ve always enjoyed working in small formats, and using various materials on paper. From watercolor to etching, I tend to utilize a wide range of water-soluble mediums to tell my story. In the past couple of years, photography has become an essential element in my work, as I delve deeper into self-portraiture. I’m often attracted to materials that feel more intimate in nature. The small format and inclusion of text in my work, evokes a strong idea of narrative, intricately woven in between the images. Each piece from this series starts with a self-portrait I take, usually at home, with a digital camera, later to be incorporated into a mixed-media collage. The entire process of manipulating the images is done by hand, and I do not use Photoshop to enhance any of the photographs. The collage and layering of various papers and drawing/painting mediums add different textures to the final pieces. The small formats, usually no larger than 12 X 12 inches, enhance the idea of intimacy, and further emphasize the book-like quality of each piece.
I’m greatly influenced by various artists whose works primarily focus on self-portraiture like Frida Kahlo, Shirin Neshat, Cindy Sherman, Yasumasa Morimura and Claude Cahun, as well as surrealist artists like Man Ray and Hans Bellmer. In literature I have been inspired by the works of Clarice Lispector and Marjane Satrapi.