The matter of memory

Matter of Memory consists of a series of canvases and objects stained/marked by rusted sheet metal, sourced from old machinery, abandoned on the artist’s family farm. The work maps the history embedded in the surface texture of these objects - imprinting pitted rust, traces of enamel paint, and deep, heavy indentations. These marked the surface of the materials the metal interacted with. The resulting indexical marks not only evoke the personal and collective memories that the family acquired while using the machinery to work the land, but also hold the memories of the art processes used in their making.

Matter of Memory is a repository of familial events and experiences, still partly occluded and protected by glass, ragged pieces black plastic and blue tape which explicitly identify the artist’s role as a mediator between past experience and present remembrance.