No Real Memories

Memory is a complicated thing. We often long to hold unto the past, but struggle to actually remember it accurately. We place such importance on memories that we continually collect artifacts to remember things by. We take pictures to remember moments. We hold onto personal items to remember people. We often display these artifacts and spend so much time with them that we place more importance on the objects than the memories associated with them. Hang photos and display momentos, and constantly live in the past. In my work, I focus on reconnecting those objects to the memories, and addressing the attachment we have to them. I break down the process of memory, and depict the lack of clarity we have around memory. I tend to use simplified shapes and connected patterns to obscure memories, in the same way our memories are distorted over time. I often use more muted and desaturated colors to further the narrative of our memories being different from our reality. I paint on frames and other storage items in order to communicate our tendency to store and sort our memories in a safe place to be accessed later.https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/1066/thumbnail.jp