2010, Collage, oil, wood, Sizes vary
What appears to be a collection of old photographs reveals itself upon closer inspection as something entirely different. Through repetition, collage and painting I parody the family photograph by simulating its likeness. Mildly unsettling and at the same time amusing, these parodies hold an element of surprise in their incongruous relationship between mimicry and material. Working within standard photographic dimensions, I use collage to subtly change the content of the original photo. Then, I paint over the surface of the collage to diminish the detail and mask the facial characteristics of the figures. It is through these masked disguises that the characters trade in their associative personal identities in favor of more anonymous ones. Using techniques of transformation, exaggeration, satire, disguise and appropriation, I aim to create images that hold multiple meanings, provoke nostalgia and lead the viewers to associate through their own experiences. The progression of technology holds an uncertain future for the familiar form of the family. These works seek to re-establish the tangibility and importance of a photograph’s physical presence.
A Daimler Company
