Laura Clark

ARTIST STATEMENT:

“All things that have form eventually decay” – Masashi Kishimoto

As a visual artist, I choose to create photographic images because it provides an opportunity to capture the everyday moments that may go unnoticed by others. “Everyday life is a life lived on the level of surging affects, impacts suffered or barely avoided. It takes everything we have. But it also spawns a series of little somethings dreamed up in the course of things.” (Stewart, 2007) 

Continually examining the constructs of societies and self, my photographs reflect an interest in how we choose, individually and collectively, to physically and emotionally occupy environments now and in the past. During this unprecedented global pandemic, solitude and the uncertainty of time have influenced my perception and perspective on life and memory. In my personal efforts to navigate the emotional upheaval of the current state of the world and my own heavy heart, artistically, I gravitated towards subject matter that is relatable, familiar and ever- changing. Consequently, this artistic journey evoked self-awareness and reflection on my very own mortality. As I strive to recall and protect personal sentimental moments, I am challenged with the disconnect and fragmentation that the passing of time creates. Although we all know the eventual fate of our own life, perhaps it is the unpredictability and lack of control of a pandemic that reminds us of our temporary existence. However temporary, whether in the stillness or chaos of time, a photograph can see in the human soul and reveal the vitality that is alive in a single moment. Another reminder – in this case that each of us is connected.

My most recent subject matter looks at the symbolism and meaning of flowers in the occasions of life and death - in celebration, in memory, and in mourning. I photograph in natural settings, utilizing the natural light in a process that captures an ephemeral moment of authenticity and truth. These images explore the vulnerability and fragility of the human landscape. Flowers, both fabricated and real, are reminders and remnants, a memento, of lives once lived. The significance is in the meaning and sentimental value given by those who placed them.  My photographic images take a different approach to portraiture and photography: creating a sense of identity without a single face, yet giving a face to the universal reality of the human experience. This portrait examines the aspect of human consciousness, awareness, perception and thought - emotion. In each photograph, within each moment, the essence of being in that moment is preserved. This is a way to hold onto and embrace time even as we grapple with fragmented memories that time, itself, may distort and dilute.  As with all that lives, these flowers will come to an end in time, but perhaps not all is lost. Even with the eventual decay of the flowers, the beauty, the sentiment, the purpose…still remains and time is not forgotten.

ARTIST BIO: 

Laura Clark is a Canadian photo-based Visual Artist who lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. Since graduating from Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, Clark has combined her passion for photography with her interest in people to create images that observe, expose and

tell stories about how we relate to our world. 

Clark’s art practice focuses on the fleeting existence of time and space from moment to moment. By exploring the remnants left behind, images reveal the change and transformation that takes place to shape thought, recollections, and surroundings. Clark is an award-winning artist who has exhibited across the Lower Mainland. Exhibitions include Surrey Art Gallery, Gibson’s Public Art Gallery and Richmond Art Gallery. She is an active member of a female art collective and art contributor to a variety of community and charity organizations. Her work is also included in several private collections.

Currently, Clark is exploring and pursuing her interest in botanicals as an extension of human expression with sculptural art that combines her photographs with diverse mediums, such as resin, clay and wood.