KATHERINE HUBER - B.F.A. Degree with a concentration in Photography

Myselves 7	*Myselves 20*

Artist Statement "Myselves"

In my current body of work entitled Myselves, I am analyzing the everchanging relationship an individual has with oneself. It is my intention, to explore the conflict and peace that occurs behind closed eyelids, and its manifestation of our relationship with ourselves.

Utilizing photography as my medium, my work examines the formal elements and expression of contemporary photography and encourages the viewer to consider what they see. I am employing a muted color palette with the intention of exaggerating the raw forms and emotions of the work. I am drawing from the work of contemporary photographer Francesca Woodman, who experimented with formal photography techniques to create surrealistic compositions, and embracing the concept of the otherworldly, as I work to create dreamlike (or unusual) environments. My use of long exposures and double exposures is intended to bring a sense of motion and haste to the image. I attempt to pull the viewer into a pattern of time portrayed in each image, leaving them with a sense of unease.

The concept of time is a key component of the process in creating my work, expressing the stagnant nature of time while also stressing the urgency of it. Creating most of these images alone during a period of mandatory isolation, I was forced to confront the startling reality of time and the unsettling notion of spending eternity with myself. I chose to pursue this in which I could accurately represent this sentiment. The series is split into two sections — indoor and outdoor — to depict the inability to break free from the distress which resides internally. Having grown up around the locations which these pictures were taken, I was quite familiar with the lighting of the areas and how I could use it to my advantage. Especially in the outdoor portion of this series, I wanted the hard shadows and lines from the sun to mirror the harsh thoughts in our heads that can sometimes overtake us, much like shadows.

Though many of the images may seem fleeting or unintentional, each work in this series has a time-based component behind the depicted idea. Each image is clearly planned prior to photographing, as I wanted to depict these sensations as accurately as possible; the sense of emptiness and loneliness that arises when confronted with an infinite amount of time with oneself. Each movement and layering was carefully choreographed with the intention of invoking a similar emotion as those depicted, within the viewer.