Succession

Visual thoughts on change and adaptation

As I have become aware of aging, I’ve begun thinking about how individuals adapt to change in order to remain relevant throughout their lives. The broader extension of this line of thinking led to reflections on succession, displacement, and survival, the potent reality of our times. I am intrigued by the comparison of the continuum of change throughout an individual lifespan with that of the historic cultural succession. At a time of historic mass migrations it is particularly relevant.

I chose the concept of ‘palimpsests’ to serve as a visual metaphor. A palimpsest is a manuscript on which previous writings are revealed under the text. It became an apt vehicle as I searched for visual ways to express a continuum of time. The calligraphic writing I invented suggests communication, but is unintelligible. Just as immigrants to new places have had to learn new languages, those in a rapidly changing time must keep traveling forward or find themselves engulfed in language they do not understand.

From disappearing plant and animal species to migrating cultures, the work explores the fragility of precious and vanishing worlds and the innate challenge of adaptation for survival.

HISTORY- Acrylic and silkscreen on paper 30"H X 22"W

INHERITANCE - acrylic on paper 25"H x 31"W