On view: December 8-13, 2023
Reception: December 8, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Encompassing photography, printmaking, and animation, Claire Begalla’s works visually explore the manipulation of the human figure and its dynamic relationship with the surrounding landscape. Born in DeLand Florida, they will receive their Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Digital Screen Media Studies from Davidson College. Claire also studied Darkroom Photography and Ethnographic Photography at Temple University in Rome, Italy. Claire manages the photography of the Van Every/ Smith Galleries art collection and works as an Arts Fellow for Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement. They also worked as a Curatorial Intern for the Asheville Art Museum.
Artist Statement:
My work revolves around the practice of decentering. For me, this concept extends beyond composition and targets the viewer’s consciousness to draw them outside of themselves and towards their environment. Encompassing photography, printmaking, and animation, my works visually explore the manipulation of the human figure and its dynamic relationship with the surrounding landscape.
Each work that I create originates from photographs that encourage the viewer to reflect upon their own transient nature and the beauty inherent in the impermanence of the human form and natural environments. Through the selective erasure, camouflage, or distortion of specific elements of the figure, my work delves into themes of identity, memory, and temporal ephemerality.
Gum printing, a 19th century combination of printmaking and photography resides at the core of my practice. This slow, layering process employs a mixture of gum arabic, pigment, and a dichromate to produce a photosensitive emulsion that is subsequently exposed to a negative to generate the final image. The resulting print carries a surreal tone, reminiscent of the dreams that often influence my original photographs.
Drawing from my spiritual practice, I am currently utilizing animations to examine the circular energy that I feel when I am outdoors and/or meditating. Through my animations, drawings of my own body morph into spheres and engage in the practice of decentering. The expansion of the body’s parts into spheres reciprocates the span of forces that push on the female body—the parts push back on everything which bound them to their singular gaze.
Learn More About Claire Begalla’s Art Process