Emilie Kvist

2021 VA Major Show: From Where I Make

Over the last year my family inherited many old photographs from my grandmother upon her passing. Without any historical information or names to accompany these photographs, the individuals within them have been lost to us. We know only that they date to around the time of the second World War, and that the people were most likely her friends at the time. When looking at these photos, I began to think about time and its effect on memory. Who are these people? What does it mean to be remembered? Is memory itself a distorted illusion?

As an artist who is inspired by masters of tromp l’oeil such as designer Iris Van Herpen and painter Victor Vasarely, I was curious to see how illusion and memory could play a part in this project. I chose to distort the photos to make it difficult for the viewer to recognise them as people. As time passes our memories often change, distort or sometimes completely erode. Using the print-making technique of “spit biting” (where the acid “bites” wherever it touches the copper plate, showing brushstrokes, drips, and dots), I let go of control and allowed the acid to deconstruct the image in an experimental way. As the image slowly eroded, I felt like I was seeing an old friend after years of separation. I repeated this process ten times, reducing the number of prints at each step. At the end of the erosion process the plate no longer holds ink and the image has almost  disappeared, like a memory that has faded over time.

 

I would like to recognise that I live and work on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish, Kwantlen and Stó:lō people, who are the stewards of this land which I reside on. I would like to express my gratitude and respect for living in this territory.

 

Artists:

Trevor J. Mykulak

Avneet Sandhu

Shannon Pahladsingh

Katie Strand

Michael Broekhuizen

Emilie Kvist

Joshua Oladipupo Jinadu (BMA)

Erin Caskey