Statement

Crystal Hartman

Artist Statement.

I am interested in small details and grand concepts that both unify and divide -beauty, emotion, religion and the likes. Artistically, it is my intention to create a space for interaction between a viewer's individual perspective and the collective conscious and unconscious of humanity.

The Context.

Is this a test of character? I find myself wondering… do I really fall into that category? Sometimes, and then I realize: it's all about perspective. The impetus for my work is a need for discussion. What I find interesting are the connections and connotations (historical and personal) that are attached to common situations creating context for understanding. Abstracting segments from generally mundane daily experiences, my work addresses issues -personal, social, political- that are the foundations from which we interpret our everyday lives. Using loaded imagery, materials and language to address the human-animal relationship, memory, and the fundamental personality traits that perpetuate individuality, I attempt to initiate a conversation within the viewer.

And Immediacy.

I find inspiration through artists who can admit that the original aesthetics in their work are present before beginning to research the conceptual ideas; the narrative is conceived later - through a post-context lens. I often find myself, in the middle of a conversation that I should not be in, thinking… if I had only mentioned this in a text message… Written communication provides a "gray area" to conversation, in which the reader is given room to try on different possible contexts and meanings. It is strange to think of the possibilities of technology and easier to cringe when the red light flashes on the nozzle of a video camera pointed in your direction. Surveillance? Or, documentation -like Clark Kent.

Write that down.

Contact.

crystaldhartman@gmail.com