Jillian Vaccaro
My work is an exploration of memory surrounding my familial relationships, childhood, and adult life. Each work functions as an emotional response to my past, fabricated to depict the fragility and loss that permeates the act of recollecting. Before I begin a new piece, I situate my mind in a previous time. I bring myself to this place through writing, reminiscing with loved ones, navigating through souvenirs and familial archives, and revisiting significant environments from childhood and my adult life. My mark making becomes meditative, while capturing the experience of exploring the intricate landscape of personal history. When I arrive in the past mentally, I respond with my materials intuitively.
The use of personal souvenirs are woven into my practice as they function as objects of remembrance and assist my recollections. I share intimate parts of my past so that others may feel connected through a similar sense of vulnerability, appreciation, loss, and reflection in their own life.