Spotlight Artist

Samantha Van Heest

South
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Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

 My work explores memory via still life, found objects, and portraiture in minimalist representational painting and drawing. It reflects my desire to remember both the significant events and the small and intimate moments in life. Furthermore, it acts as a visual catalogue for my memories, a secure physical representation of how I recalled a moment. I romanticize the minutiae of everyday life, and I want to communicate the impact of ephemera as I remember it by visually referencing objects that symbolize the whole scene.

What may initially appear as non-sequitur represents my exploration on the limitations of long-term memory and how our mind retains specific details that serve as a reminder for the whole instance. Through this examination of memory, I’m also exploring myself as a multiracial woman, my femininity, and my experience processing intense emotions such as grief and trauma. I want to discuss memory, how it defines the self, and how something so crucial to the makeup of our lives walks the line between reality and fiction.

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