Statement

My current work investigates ways in which our minds filter and regurgitate subconscious observations.  These unresolved juxtapositions, chance meetings, are what fuel my imagery. In my paintings specifically, I use elements such as transparency and interrupted space to create painted compositions that mimic underdeveloped and incomplete recollections of my surroundings. With misplaced textures and fragmented objects my paintings create metaphors for how we can never really recall an image or experience exactly- only in pieces -- with some areas more comprehensible than others.

My recent installations and films also allude to the illogical ways our minds recall experience, particularly through visual sensory sensations. My sources are varied, originating in both domestic and public settings, and focusing on nostalgic objects, fragmented figures, faces, fabrics, and textures. I often reference specific remembered interior spaces in film, whereas my installations have been more site specific while still relating to remembered sensation. I am fascinated with the way images from past experiences often overlap and interrupt one another while floating in and out of our subconscious. Why do some recalled images penetrate our memories and stay while others are forgotten? What interests me most is the dialog that develops between these images as they collide in my compositions, films, and created environments. This investigation has led me to examine how sensory experiences from our pasts might influence the present.

Meghan Bean