Teisha Holloway

I was born into a nomadic military lifestyle. This means that in my household there was constantly a shifting dynamic of power structures and domestic roles as well as place and culture. This led to feelings of isolation and being an outsider and that is where I became really interested in how our sense of self is shaped. I began my art practice with questions about how disruptions in culture have a significant impact on my sense of self and those questions evolve as I watch my daughter grow and try to find her own sense of self in our similarly nomadic lifestyle. My work looks at interlocking cycles of generational behaviors that are informed by culture and use the traditions that come from the past to question where our sense of self really comes from. As a person not really from any particular place I often wonder how place and traditions are used for us to make connections that reach from the individual to the collective. I create work that draws from my own experiences and comment on how my experiences are part of a larger narrative that is our world. Often my work is very process-oriented and I find that the material and the process contribute meaning to the work, because of this I use a variety of materials and techniques to create work. I frequently use materials that reference the body, family, ideas of tradition, and connection.