The End of the World
Solo Senior Show
March 25 - April 11, 2012
Gregerson Gallery, Luther College
The end of the world is a mindset, not an event. Yet how we interact with the earth presently is negatively affecting our future, causing a tangible “end.” We do not know when an “end” will come, or what that means, but with current knowledge of climate change and other pressing environmental issues, we cannot assume that we are guaranteed a future the same as our present. I am struck over and over by the reoccurring setbacks in confronting and changing inefficient and detrimental laws, regulations, and policies currently in place that could help alter this situation. We are stuck in stasis, leaving us with nostalgia for the past and anxiety about the future.
I create art using text. Personal experiences lead to concepts, and the words that result require an outlet, for which I end up creating a series or a themed grouping of text. If I incorporate text that is not originally my own, I appropriate it by removing it from its original context and editing it into a new form. Each artwork takes into account the concept, the text, and the presentation when it is physically realized. For this show, the presentation was heavily influenced by my childhood. Every summer growing up, my family took vacations to National Parks. Each piece in the show is a reaction to a specific experience from these trips. Similar to Jenny Holzer, these texts are my own creations and choices but they are not personal statements. When you read and experience my text, it becomes your own.
I use a range of images in my work; some photographs were personally taken and some have been appropriated. The choice of image is always intentional, and each piece in the show is affected by whether or not I took the photograph. Reclamation, a poster bought online, addresses the fact that pictures of places are indirect, idealized images that are easy to interact with and preserve. However, in Souvenir, the concept is more personal and so are the images. Generation/Dissolution appropriates images of artworks that are historically and personally significant.
I find it is as important today to talk about the environment as it is to experience it firsthand. I do not feel the need to work with the earth literally to make a point; I work with text and aim to start discussions about the earth and our relationship with it. My work is successful if it starts and continues constructive conversations and personal thinking, as contemplated thought leads to informed action. I would hope that you share your thoughts and keep this conversation going.
March 25 - April 11, 2012
Gregerson Gallery, Luther College
The end of the world is a mindset, not an event. Yet how we interact with the earth presently is negatively affecting our future, causing a tangible “end.” We do not know when an “end” will come, or what that means, but with current knowledge of climate change and other pressing environmental issues, we cannot assume that we are guaranteed a future the same as our present. I am struck over and over by the reoccurring setbacks in confronting and changing inefficient and detrimental laws, regulations, and policies currently in place that could help alter this situation. We are stuck in stasis, leaving us with nostalgia for the past and anxiety about the future.
I create art using text. Personal experiences lead to concepts, and the words that result require an outlet, for which I end up creating a series or a themed grouping of text. If I incorporate text that is not originally my own, I appropriate it by removing it from its original context and editing it into a new form. Each artwork takes into account the concept, the text, and the presentation when it is physically realized. For this show, the presentation was heavily influenced by my childhood. Every summer growing up, my family took vacations to National Parks. Each piece in the show is a reaction to a specific experience from these trips. Similar to Jenny Holzer, these texts are my own creations and choices but they are not personal statements. When you read and experience my text, it becomes your own.
I use a range of images in my work; some photographs were personally taken and some have been appropriated. The choice of image is always intentional, and each piece in the show is affected by whether or not I took the photograph. Reclamation, a poster bought online, addresses the fact that pictures of places are indirect, idealized images that are easy to interact with and preserve. However, in Souvenir, the concept is more personal and so are the images. Generation/Dissolution appropriates images of artworks that are historically and personally significant.
I find it is as important today to talk about the environment as it is to experience it firsthand. I do not feel the need to work with the earth literally to make a point; I work with text and aim to start discussions about the earth and our relationship with it. My work is successful if it starts and continues constructive conversations and personal thinking, as contemplated thought leads to informed action. I would hope that you share your thoughts and keep this conversation going.