Nostalgia
As a foreigner living abroad, I often find myself confronted with the question of what makes a home. Is it a physical structure or is it something more malleable? Is the idea of home shaped by where we come from, or rather where we go? This body of work explores the concept of home, my nostalgia for Wyoming, where I grew up, and Istanbul, where I have lived for the past 7 years. As an artist who not only works in both environments, but also has deep connections in each place, my artwork often reflects this dramatic shift in environments. Through this call and response, I have become interested in how we affect the world around us, how we too are transformed by our surroundings, and how a life of movement can shift our sense of home and identity. After years of both traveling to and living in Istanbul, I have become fascinated by many aspects of Turkish life and culture. Through my love of observational drawing, I have contemplated how the city’s wealth of architectural forms and scenes from daily life reflect themes of home and space. For this body of work, I have combined my fascination with architectural ruins and structures, with personal memories of Istanbul and life in the Western United States. Interwoven with these ideas is my interest in past, with the many lives that my “homes” have lived, and the many lives that have passed through these places. As my own life shifts and transforms within these environments, I reflect on the larger shift and flux of these places that I have called home. In a sense, this body of work reflects impermanence and the delicate nature of reality.
"Nostalgia" was born out of my love for observation, tradition and memory. As I move between these worlds, and continue my investigation these concepts, I have realized that finding a home is less about where I come from, but where I can become myself.