This work examines the trauma and uncertainty carried
from childhood. In particular, I am referencing my own upbringing
as a Polish immigrant. There is an undercurrent of helplessness and
misdirection linked to a sort of schizophrenic parenting, excommunication,
and constant movement. Typically, the perception of children handed
down by my elders was that children did not have a choice. Frequently,
I heard a Polish equivalent of the phrase “Children should be
seen not heard”. I am attempting to give these children voices.
These photographs are projection-based installations.
The models are mannequins and their faces are projections. The faces
of the children are slides that my father took of me when he was still
involved in my life. The other slides are present day images that I
have shot of my mom, my dad, and myself. My goal is to reconstruct my
own childhood, empowering the past for better or for worse. The result
is a troubling recreation of events that may seem disturbing but are
far less in context to the real events that transpired.
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