Memory at Play
Exhibition dates: November 14 - 21, 2023
Opening reception: Thursday, November 16th, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Barn Burner, oil on canvas 2023
Make Yourself at Home, oil on canvas 2023
I Wanna Linger, oil on canvas 2023
Artist Statement
Nostalgia is the recollection of prior moments, places, persons and experiences for which the individual has positive personal associations. The human psyche employs nostalgia as a tool for coping with adverse events or emotions such as homesickness. Nostalgia is a bridge between one’s past and one’s current sense of self. It reinforces bonds with people and places, provides context for future experiences, and gives comfort during periods of transition. As I progress through my own transition from childhood to adulthood, I am homesick for the safety and familiarity of my Grandmother’s farm and pained by the physical dismantling of my tight knit family group. Each painting’s composition derives from the reenactment and reimagining of specific and personal childhood memories and moments of play, shared with family members in meaningful spaces. This body of work explores the ways in which nostalgia provides comfort and initiates growth during times of change and how the visualization of childhood memories through the creation of these paintings physically documents the experience of nostalgia.