Melissa Joseph
To recognize self in others is to understand what it means
to be human and to be fragile. All the conversations I have
concerning societal struggles boil down to one solution: treat
all humans as humans. This simple and elegant assertion
proves to be inconceivably difficult to implement. My work as an
artist addresses this phenomenon, and is dedicated to mending
and healing some of the seemingly persistent failures of the
civic and social infrastructure. One body of work explores
memories and our relationships to them: nostalgic, obsessive,
glorifying, dismissive, repressed. Using Indian silk for these
is intentional and functional. Textiles speak to how our bodies
interact with space, their folds allowing for only limited
accessibility. Another body of work is concerned with the way
in which we occupy space. This is both political and emotional.
Whether we are aware of it or not, our body takes comprehensive
notes on our experiences.
