Brooklynne Smith

Artist Statement

I have an odd obsession with memory. I've always been interested in what we remember, how we remember, and why we remember. Physical media, while not as permanent as media saved online, is such a captivating set of information that protects humans desire to remember. I work primarily with photographs to draw inspiration for my drawings and paintings. In recreating these images using graphite in varying shapes and sizes, I reanimate these memories that were soon to be discarded.

Similarly, I find myself wanting to preserve my own memories in my artwork. Part of pushing memories on to paper includes the process of refining your own memory to get to a finished product. Often, the themes I find myself working with have a lot to do with the loss of a chapter in my life, or better yet the harsh transitions between them. The process of aging and remembrance is one of great importance to me.

I like to pick apart the intimate memories of those who may no longer exist in this realm. I am deeply interested in the film that was left behind by strangers, especially moments that may have been left unthought of or untouched by any mind for years. What emotions come out of ourselves when we observe media that was not left for us to see? What kind of reaction do you get from looking at memories of a family that is no longer with us? These are the questions I like to explore while I create.

I play with angles, geometry, overlapping pictures, and the void that seems to exist in each one of our imaginations. I enjoy experimenting with the size of the imagery on the emptiness of a black canvas, depending on the emotional weight I feel the image carries with it. In the exploration of the moments others thought were important enough to preserve physically, I begin to question the way I go about living my life. With a focus on older physical media, I take in memories that otherwise would have been forgotten in our digital age. I am reshaping my views on our modern, fast paced consumption of photography, which was once a much more respected and thought out process of self-preservation.