Art Art Art

I am made of a thousand layers.

I am the product of a broken home, the daughter of an alcoholic who died prematurely. I am a sister, a daughter, a caretaker, an employee and a student. I am agnostic. I am the minority. I’m the majority. I am a close friend and have many close friends. I am a blogger. I am an example, a leader and a follower. I am a feminist. I am involved. I am a loner. I am overweight. I am healthy. I am beautiful. I’m ugly. I am an artist.

Aside from the roles I play, I feel emotion.

I feel happy and sad. I am filled with anger and hate. I am curious. I feel joy. I get depressed to the point that life feels meaningless. I am afraid of the future and yearn for the past. I am confident and insecure. I am hopeful for the path that lies ahead and accept where I’ve been. I am relieved. I am an optimist, realist and pessimist. I am an artist.

It fascinates me that I experience these different roles and emotions simultaneously. One day I can be happy and sad while playing the roles of student and sister. The following day I will use different emotions while playing different roles. Who I was yesterday isn’t who I am today, and the possibilities for tomorrow are endless.

By layering images using photography, I am able to revisit yesterday, discover today, and anticipate the future. My latest series, Addiction, is a reaction to my father’s struggles with alcoholism. Addiction is defined as a “compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance”. Addiction explores dependency at its basest form. By repeating the same images and themes within one frame, I hope to portray addiction visually.

The overlapping and juxtaposing of images helps the viewer witness the compulsion and bottomlessness tied to dependency. The repeating images symbolize the monotonous repetition of an addict’s life. The various images represent secrets, trials, and emotional layers found within this lifestyle. I want my viewers to be able to see a part of themselves in my work, so that they may further understand what it means to be addicted. My images are intended to take them back to their childhood, sadden them, comfort them, and force them to experience life. Only through the understanding and acceptance of others will we as the human race grow.

Stay tuned for pictures and and overhauling of www.malloryqualls.com in the meantime check out my flickr account. It has a preview of the series.