CATHERINE CAMERON

ARTIST STATEMENT

My subject matter is the psycho-sociological matters that form and shape us as human beings.

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In my work I explore the cyclical nature of repetitive thoughts and actions, the culture of concealment and denial.

I am interested in the role that hope holds in our lives, from its lifesaving capabilities to its detrimental aspects, when hope prevents us from making necessary changes, trapping us in a state of Status Quo. The playwright Henrik Ibsen described this as the Life-Lie, a state of denial, the life-lie creates a detrimental zone of comfort, a space inhabited by emotions like longing, melancholia and loneliness.

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The work is not narrative. My objective is that the visual aesthetics through its layers and details invite the viewer to introspective reflection and contemplation. The poetic titles seek to link the multilayered and sometimes abstract visuals to the complex, concealed and layered motifs that denote cultures of denial.

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I explore this visually through staged photography. The staging is repetitious both in materials and settings as I deconstruct and reconstruct the same forms and shapes over and over again. This way of approaching my work mirrors the repetitious nature of the subject matter. I work analogue with natural light and print the work in my darkroom.

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