Owed to my Grandfather: RheaCole

Artist Statement

“Oh FUCK, I’m pregnant!” was the first thought that provoked the start of my current work.

Relationships are consequential, especially parent and child dynamics, so this is what I began

thinking about in terms of my own childhood. How have I been shaped by those around me?

How do the objects I find to be sentimental define my bonds with those who raised me? Can I

use my past to connect to those around me with only artifacts of my existence? Being

surrounded by interior thoughts that create portals into my past through found and fabricated

objects and tools that tie together my experiences with those of the masses is what I am working

on. In my experience, people generally understand movement and connection, whether physical

or representational, through objects of their past, so why can’t I use objects from my past to

convey what those ties of kinship have done for me as an adult? I have been comparing how I

look at each attachment and which direction these memories have taken me. Representing my

intimate dependance with my grandparents is where I’ve begun, starting in a very linear direction

that moves towards my parents, mentors, and siblings from here.