The exhibition showcased a lot of powerful still life works with the two works of art that caught my eye were the ones by Ashley Lyon. Ashley Lyon created “Wellspring” and “Mother and Child” which represented real life items such as a quilt from her grandmother and a rope. The quilt represented something special to her as it was made by her grandmother in the 1900s and provided her with protection and warmth throughout the years. She turned this important fabric into artwork which from a first glance looks as if it is the same fabric and the same softness the quilt is but in turn it is now a material which can easily be broken. With her creating this artwork, she was able to capture its essence, capture a memory, capture a time in her life and capture more time to come just like a selfie would do or an image would. “To collect photographs is to collect the world.” is a quote by Susan Sontag which is essentially about how images will always be there and are easy to keep. For Ashley Lyon, this piece is her photograph, since is it is something which will be there with her, and she will be able to keep it.
She also created “Mother and Child” which is meant to represent an intertwined rope which has no end and is the constant pull and give of motherhood. She had stated she had love for her child but also at the same time has a struggle with her child which only she can understand. She had this change in her life when she reached motherhood, where there was a time before motherhood and now this is her time during motherhood. She captured this artwork to help show how she is intertwined with her child and show the dynamics/relationship which will always be there no matter how old her child is. “Photographs really are experience captured,” is another quote by Susan Sontag. Ashley Lyon used clay to capture her experience of motherhood other than using images, she was able to accurately depict how she felt about her dealings with motherhood. Still life inspired artworks help to show identity, even if it seems as if it is just an “object” but there is always more behind an object and there is always a story to an object. With the “Mother and Child” piece, it looks just like a piece of rope but once you understand the story behind it, it gives it identity and gives it meaning. Objects can hold a lot of meaning whether it be a quilt that has been passed down generations or something handcrafted by a loved one, there is always a story behind an object. “Photographs furnish evidence” is another quote by Susan Sontang which provides us proof of what we are seeing and provides us with something tangible. I believe “Mother and Child” was created to be something tangible, something which truly represented how Ashley Lyon feels.
For my selfie, I choose to include a picture of my mother and I, since I was inspired by “Mother and Child”. This speaks to my identity because my mother has always been a huge inspiration in my life and has always been there for me even through the ugliest times of my life. “What do women give to one another? What do they pass on to one another?” is a quote from How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making. Women give each other their own experiences and wisdom which is what my mother has passed down to me and has helped shape and mold me. She has given me so much in life and continues to give me so much. She also always supports me in my decisions even if it takes time, but she always has my back. But there is also a back and forth between us, where we do not see eye to eye and have days where we won’t speak to each other. It is a lot like the intertwined rope of Ashley Lyon’s work where are relationship is constantly connected and can be messy but also happy at the same time.
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