| Description |
During my time at the University of Utah I have developed a body of work revolving around the dichotomy and coexistence of absence and presence. My fundamental inspiration spurs from the death of my Mother and a lost connection to religion. I understand absence and presence as reciprocal fluid states that define one another. I use memory, ritual, and nostalgia as mechanisms to investigate the ephemeral nature of absence and presence. Transformed into Omnipresence is a continuation of my conceptual explorations and a retrospective analysis of aesthetic decisions I made early in my artistic practice. This reflective look backwards is an attempt to better understand my creative development, and a means to further analyze the verisimilitude present within my portfolio. I approach this analysis based on the manipulation of iconography. My artistic process is not about attempting to create something new, but about rearranging and rearticulating the pre-existing in attempt to find different interpretations. I seek to ascertain an aesthetic and conceptual balance between existing and self-appointed symbolism and use a combination of freestanding sculpture and installation environments to visually quantify the balance I perceive between absence and presence. I use materials and techniques that are conceptually multi-faceted: ash, gold leaf, candles, expansive vertical lines, and negative space. Transformed into Omnipresence will exist as an exhibition and as a written documentation of the process of creating a highly personal series of work. |
