Lisa Corine Von Koch Artist Statement
It was a lot easier to write an artist statement when I simply identified as an ecoartist, and the materials and the processes were related conceptually and thematically, driving the work and its meaning/function. At this point in my life, the concerns of an environmentalist are so engrained in my daily behavior, both in and out of the studio, that making work ABOUT those materials, processes and concerns is redundant. I feel no need to inform people that when I am cooking in the kitchen, I am cooking with food; similarly, I no longer need to say that I make work using found/repurposed/upcycled or natural materials: it is a given. Whether I am making drawings, sculpture, installations or performance work, in the end, the most sustainable resources that I have at my disposal are my own body, mind, and experience.
What I do know at this point is that I rely on the place where I am, the people that surround me, and the autobiographical/experiential trappings of my life to inform the work. With open eyes and mind, with a mirror slightly askance, I investigate my life and self, using my body and my experience as a point of departure. Lately, I have turned to performance using video and photographs, without my usual costumes and characters, and just allowed myself to be myself. Unmasked, and yet still performing, I am interested in the layers of awareness- breaking the "fourth wall" to acknowledge my awareness of myself as the performer. Performing for the camera grants a great deal of freedom of expression and allows for investigation into the beauty and flaws of the body, and the display of strength and sensuality as a misfit cover for loneliness and vulnerability.
I draw every single day: narrative observational drawings, figure studies, and abstractions. Drawing has opened doors to me that I had never imagined possible. I made a series of intimate drawings, largely based on photos, which helped me to understand my transformation after walking the Camino de Santiago in the summer of 2012. One of the drawings became the keystone drawing in a series of collaborative drawings, which became my latest exhibition, DAD. Collaborative drawing allowed me to investigate the rupture between memory and reality, as well as an opportunity to reconnect with the most important artists in my life. In the summer of 2013, I drew my way across India, and found that through drawing, I really SAW what was before me: the people, the places and the culture. Drawings became the greatest offerings I could give to repay my gracious hosts and new friends, and became my way to celebrate the color, history, and spirit of India.
As an interdisciplinary artist without any over-arching themes that bind all of the work together, I have to admit that my work is just part of my process of self-study, which all art ultimately is. Thank you very much for taking the time to look.
It was a lot easier to write an artist statement when I simply identified as an ecoartist, and the materials and the processes were related conceptually and thematically, driving the work and its meaning/function. At this point in my life, the concerns of an environmentalist are so engrained in my daily behavior, both in and out of the studio, that making work ABOUT those materials, processes and concerns is redundant. I feel no need to inform people that when I am cooking in the kitchen, I am cooking with food; similarly, I no longer need to say that I make work using found/repurposed/upcycled or natural materials: it is a given. Whether I am making drawings, sculpture, installations or performance work, in the end, the most sustainable resources that I have at my disposal are my own body, mind, and experience.
What I do know at this point is that I rely on the place where I am, the people that surround me, and the autobiographical/experiential trappings of my life to inform the work. With open eyes and mind, with a mirror slightly askance, I investigate my life and self, using my body and my experience as a point of departure. Lately, I have turned to performance using video and photographs, without my usual costumes and characters, and just allowed myself to be myself. Unmasked, and yet still performing, I am interested in the layers of awareness- breaking the "fourth wall" to acknowledge my awareness of myself as the performer. Performing for the camera grants a great deal of freedom of expression and allows for investigation into the beauty and flaws of the body, and the display of strength and sensuality as a misfit cover for loneliness and vulnerability.
I draw every single day: narrative observational drawings, figure studies, and abstractions. Drawing has opened doors to me that I had never imagined possible. I made a series of intimate drawings, largely based on photos, which helped me to understand my transformation after walking the Camino de Santiago in the summer of 2012. One of the drawings became the keystone drawing in a series of collaborative drawings, which became my latest exhibition, DAD. Collaborative drawing allowed me to investigate the rupture between memory and reality, as well as an opportunity to reconnect with the most important artists in my life. In the summer of 2013, I drew my way across India, and found that through drawing, I really SAW what was before me: the people, the places and the culture. Drawings became the greatest offerings I could give to repay my gracious hosts and new friends, and became my way to celebrate the color, history, and spirit of India.
As an interdisciplinary artist without any over-arching themes that bind all of the work together, I have to admit that my work is just part of my process of self-study, which all art ultimately is. Thank you very much for taking the time to look.