Kevin Hopkins
Region: Midwest
My work uses portraiture and self-portraiture to visualize retellings of playful conversations that I’ve had with friends and family. These stories often include inside jokes that can only be fully deciphered by those within the narrative. With that in mind, I am interested in allowing others to create personas—to form their own inside jokes—and use them to create a world of characters to compose fun action scenes. This collaboration expands upon the concept of “dreaming,” an invention of my brother’s and my imagination; we would reserve a room in our house and pretend to be our favorite characters, play fighting with our eyes closed. Opening this whimsical play to others is a love letter to my childhood, family, and community.