kristen s. wilkins

kristen at kristenwilkins.com

Artist Statement

My work is significantly linked to story-telling; stories express emotions, communicate, and form bonds of empathy with the audience. These stories center on how our identities are shaped by our family, home, childhood and the places we live in. These ideas manifest in a variety of ways. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I allow each piece to inform the method of its creation. I most often use photography and digital imaging, though my series have incorporated sculpture, video, computer-generated media, drawing, performance and installation.

In the series "The Presence of Absence" and "Autoportraits," I have directly changed or removed the identities of the original individuals pictured using digital technology. In the series "Transitions," photographs reflect the home and family, and emphasis intimacy with small sculptural pieces. These pieces reflect a specific house, but reference the symbols of home held by many in our culture.

In my newest series “Rapt in the Nameless Reverie,” I use objects, light and shadow, and empty space as referents to absent people and past memories. Certain objects, whether personal or culturally recognizable, stimulate specific memories in each viewer, thus inducing a feeling of nostalgia. My process is inspired by daydreaming and the transient sense of time one experiences when gazing off into space.

Biography

Kristen S. Wilkins spent her life in Southern California. In 2008, she relocated to Indiana where she continues to work as an artist and teacher. Her work as been shown at: Rio Hondo College, Whittier, California; California State University at Long Beach; California State University at Fullerton; 18th Street Art Center, Santa Monica, California; the Office Art Space, Huntington Beach, California; Robert V. Fullerton Museum, San Bernardino, California. This fall (2008) she has a solo exhibition at the beautiful Eric Dean Gallery in Indiana, sponsored by a grant from the "Know Indiana" program, and an artist residency at the Visual Studies Workshop. She likes to live in places where she feels a sense of history and community, with her partner and two cats.

The work on this site is available for show or sale in limited editions. Interested parties may request a slide package through e-mail. Ms. Wilkins is also available for guest lectures and workshops in traditional and digital photography.