I have been reflecting on the memories and feelings that certain objects hold; I am investigating what influence personal artifacts have on my practice and my identity.
Miraculously, I still have this artifact, which, according to the inscription scrawled by my mother, is my “first art.”
I was 3 years old, but I remember making this!
I soaked the decals in a dish filled with warm water; then I gently draped the wet flowers on the surface of the wood. I ripped one because I moved my fingers too fast; I remember learning about hands and eyes and the idea of flowers and a slice of wood, all at once.
It is amazing, the flood of sensory information that is unleashed when we recollect.
Rosemåling Digital Hybrid Selfie
Influenced by the work of my Swedish/German Grandfather Carl, this piece is an exploration of traditional Scandinavian Rosemåling designs, digital technologies, and my diverse family heritage.
As a person with multiple historic and cultural roots that span across the globe, this work was an opportunity for me to ruminate on how multi-faceted our expressions of self can be. I also meditated on how my lived realities, and those of others, manifest in my mark-making.
Key words: identity, expression, multicultural
Vanessa Hoff 