Evelyn Kennedy

Artist Statement

My work relies on my personal life and experiences, both as source material and subject matter, which I share with the viewer as moments of self-revelation and disclosure of my life. As I do this, I encourage the viewer to take a closer look at the experiences I’m sharing, to make connections to their own lives, to construct meanings from what I’m providing, and to consider ways to engage with what I’ve revealed about myself. At the same time, I photograph other people as a means of attempting to comprehend them and I approach them with the same level of attention that I request from the viewer when they’re engaging with the images I’m making of myself. Because my work relies on closeness and engagement, I ask the viewer to slow down when experiencing it and pay careful attention to what I’m sharing with them, and to engage with what I’ve shown them rather than simply moving past it.
The border between the self and the other is something that I find fascinating. I want to try and understand another person's thoughts and feelings, but I know that I'll never completely succeed in doing so. Regardless of whether I'm portraying myself as the subject or focusing on other people, I recognize that I am capable of being both the observer and the observed. Through the act of observing others and recognizing that I am open to interpretation as well, I create a representation of how each of us attempts to understand others while we are simultaneously unable to fully grasp our own inner workings. The act of sharing and exposing aspects of myself and others allows me to study how we empathize with, visualize, attribute, or misinterpret the unexpressed thoughts and emotions present in the gap between individuals.
It is my hope that the viewer leaves with a better understanding of how they see and interpret others and the limits of doing so. My work encourages the viewer to assemble who I am, just as I am still working on assembling who I am, and to confront the reality of never fully assembling anyone else. Ultimately, every interaction with my work represents a gesture toward crossing over into the unknown expanse between two minds. Each piece of work creates a potential space for curiosity, empathy, and being seen.