Unexpressed Love
“Unexpressed Love” is a project exploring the collective experience of grief, loss and the longing for human connection through cyanotype textiles, prints and performance art. The title of the exhibition is inspired by an interview with Andrew Garfield. He says, talking about his mother, “I hope this grief stays with me, because it is all of the unexpressed love I didn’t get to tell her”. This project is an avenue for me and my community to express love to those lost.
“Unexpressed Love” was on view at Clamp Light Gallery and Artist Studios in November 2022
The images seen in the work contain family photographs, self portraits, my own photographs and submissions from friends and family. When discussing the concept of Unexpressed Love to those around me, I was asked to include photographs from someone or something they had loss, a screenshot of the last conversation they had with a friend, or poems/journal entries they had written around the subject of unexpressed love. This lead me to open submissions to the community and affirmed that I was not alone in these experiences. It is collective.
I use cyanotype as a medium because of its versatility to print on any natural material. I am able to print on textiles and clothing to make wearable pieces, as seen in the performance video. Cyanotype’s unpredictability pushes me to experiment when I am using this technique and be more spontaneous when composing my work. Because I use the sun to expose my pieces, there is no guarantee the end result will look exactly how I want it to look.
The exhibition consisted of canvas pieces, textiles, and a performance video piece featuring a wearable art piece that was shredded to pieces. The pieces were installed at the exhibition surrounding the performance video to create an immersive experience.
The purpose of this project is to create a space for us to sit in our grief and longing. It recognizes that grief is the repeated experience of learning to live and love in the midst of a significant loss. The show features visual stories of loved ones, moments and past selves’ loss. It is dedicated to that and to my family. Their strength, despite so much loss, pushes me to make my work.