Maya Miles

KEEPSAKE: FIXING A HOLE

I taste things twice. I visit a memory and spit it back up.

I explore the dynamics between past, memory, and experience, and how they react with the present. This body of work is an appreciation and investigation of time and space in regards to my family history. By observing old family photos I consider the ideas behind mortality; people lost by death, people who are out of reach, and object that has been misplaced or a time that can never be revisited. Photos create emotional distance, the camera being the barrier, it becomes more intimate during the painting process, connecting me more to the memory of people and events in a tangible way. I concentrate on the emotional impact of the figures and objects displayed; the separation of visual and visceral memory. The paintings serve as an enabler of memories, welcoming the reflection on personal experiences and memories enabling engagement on a personal level.

The role of memory is crucial. Memory communicates elements of what has happened in the past, and the past provides context for the present. Old photographs provide distance between memory and present and offer the opportunity to reflect on the past.

This series is inspired by the loss of a loved one, specifically my father, although it does not unpack my grief towards his death. I would find myself going through photo albums trying to feel closer to him; a mere image of the person I can no longer touch. This has been crucial to my paintings because the loss made me realize many things I overlooked and took for granted.

My painting process investigates transparencies and the overlap of material and color in unison with breaking down an image much like how memories are fragmented. The final product is a result of action and reaction, every move being impulsive and without direction.

Life is so precious and without one blood link you might not have existed.