Cassandra Chalfant

Region: West

 
My work delves into the ways we experience our most personal images. How do we hold them, alter them, imagine or escape them? Why do we review them over and over again? Largely through photographs and imagined spaces, I explore my own memories, the collective memories of my family, and worlds I have created—immersing myself in places I’ve been, in times that never existed, and times that happened, but not for us.

The photographic image is vital to much of my work, serving as both context and content. The collection of images used within my paintings spans decades, incorporating found photographs and photos taken by myself and family members. This timeline points to the change in the recent history of the photographic image and its increasing influence as both a reliable and deceptive form of perception, shaping how we remember and how we analyze. Depicting familiar places and imagery, my paintings present an indistinct narrative, unclear if it is real or fiction.