I use photographs to transform found objects into pieces of art. By fusing transparent family portraits with books, blocks and tins, I create a playful tension between imagery and object. My work breathes new life into these objects, yet they leave hints of the past in their lovingly worn appearances.
Throughout my career, my work has explored the female figure, family narratives and contemporary issues of being a woman. My intent is to create works of art that are approachable in form and content and are interactive, yet fragile.
This most recent work is driven by love and loss. Making these new pieces is a way for me to maneuver through the challenges that occur after the death of a loved one. My Dad left this world on May 6, 2013. It was then that I discovered there is only one way to know what losing a parent feels like. I didn’t understand. Raw emotions, tensions and heartache have followed. Questions go unanswered. Family dynamics change. The distance becomes greater. Life goes on, slowly but surely. Death is not easy on the living.
"Lost and Found" is an ever growing body of work with many chapters. Loss has taken on many meanings—here in "Dearly Departed", the newest chapter, its meaning is about the literal experience of losing a loved one. I am still working on the found.
—Heidi Kirkpatrick
Exhibition of all 50 LensCulture Emerging Talents: Barcelona, October 13-31
Heidi Kirkpatrick's work, along with photographs from ALL the LensCulture Emerging Talents will be shown in an exhibition at the Galeria Valid Foto in Barcelona. Please join us for the opening party on October 13, 2014—we hope to see you there! See a preview of ALL the winners here in LensCulture.
ALL winners have already been featured at photo festival screenings in Dublin, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Tokyo and Amsterdam so far this year. Next screening in Korea at the Seoul Lunar Photo Fest.
