Gillian D'Ambrosia

The world is bleak and there’s no hope for the future. There is no purpose to continue, or to be here now, and there was no purpose to be here before. There is nothing to look forward to.

...however, maybe that isn’t actually the case.

Through bouts of anxiety and self-doubt, the typical response is to convince myself there is nothing to look forward to. How could there be anything worth my time when right now is so awful? What am I supposed to do with all this existence left?

The thing is, there has always been something that reminds me why it’s a wonder to exist. Whether it be my friend group, the work I produce, the smell of fall air, light coming through a window, a cloud passing, etc., there is always something worth moving forward for.

In this body of work, I try to imagine these figments of hope for the future... memories that don’t exist yet; something to look forward to. Although nothing is for sure with time that is relentlessly progressing, creating an idea of a future incites a feeling of hope in me. With endless future, maybe it’s better to embrace it’s comfort and possibilities. Our pasts run out, but our prospects are always yet to be had. Perhaps it should be something to be excited about, rather than constantly feared.

This world I’ve created is inspired by naturalistic forms, femininity, and intimacy between myself, the people around me, and the earth I live on. Although there’s an absence of people, the forms in these paintings represents the space they take up. Sometimes it represents the space they don’t take, or spaces for people that do not exist in my life yet.

With these vignettes, I hope it shows there’s something to hold on for. Whether it be a candle or a plum, it’s waiting for you to be entwined in it’s wonders.