Date of Award

Spring 2018

Author's School

Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Author Department/Program

Graduate School of Art

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Visual Art

Degree Type

Thesis

Abstract

In my work, I create objects and installations that incite both the feelings of comfort and discomfort of home. They function as displays that mirror the décor of domestic spaces from my memories. These installations take the form of adorned walls between eight to ten feet high. Their scale spurs a feeling of familiarity. While large enough to create an immersive experience that the viewer can explore, they are kept to a scale that is emblematic of a familiar, domestic space. I curate these displays with uncanny objects to examine the blindness to dysfunction that closeness in relationships can breed.

I implement the uncanny as I examine my own nostalgic impulses. Recognizing the inherent absurdity of this pursuit, I create obsessively rendered drawings and objects that portray something fleeting. This presents the viewer with questions of what is worthy of remembrance and elevation. Influenced by the femmage works of Miriam Schapiro, I hope to question what is considered trivial. I draw inspiration from my grandmother’s home and the kitsch aesthetic as I adorn objects and over-adorn my installations. This horror vacui presents cultural questions of class and taste.

I explore both a celebration and critical examination of notions of familial bonds. Autobiography serves as the catalyst, as I create physical manifestations of memory. These memories made tangible play with notions of the familiar. By creating spaces that juxtapose familiar objects with the uncanny, I present the viewer with a realm that exists between the hidden and recognizable. My intention as an artist is not to reveal exactly where my relationships have broken down, rather, to generate spaces that are open to the viewer to find their own questions.

Language

English (en)

Program Director

Patricia Olynyk

Program Director's Department

Graduate School of Art

Thesis Advisor

Monika Weiss

Studio/Primary Advisor

Jamie Adams

Studio/Primary Advisor

Tim Portlock

Committee Member

Heather Bennett

Committee Member

Heather Bennett

Artist's Statement

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7057CVC

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