REASSEMBLY // Abi Peck
My work addresses self perception and the fragmented nature of memory, emotion, and trauma. The subject matter is almost always autobiographical, dealing with my struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite the personal nature of the narratives, I try to convey a shared experience of struggle with self image and the ways memory and especially the recollection of trauma can be faulty over time. There is also a deep sense of anger and shame in the work that comes with the experience of being a survivor of sexual assault. I am also concerned with the reclamation of the female body from exploitation under the male gaze.
Painting allows me to create visceral images using color and form as an interpretive element. This may be a manipulation of hues beyond what they are in life, such as purples paired with blues and oranges to represent flesh. A vibrant color palette also serves to convey the saturated and sharp quality of traumatic memory and deep seated anger. The juxtaposition of more abstracted figures with more highly rendered images emphasizes the chasm between reality and perceptions of self corrupted by trauma. By altering reality, I speak to the idea of the fragility of memory. In part, my work is an attempt to manage my own personal trauma and reconcile reality with distorted perceptions. They are a way for me to try to find and reassemble the parts of myself that were taken away, but I cannot see clearly enough to put them back together.
Painting allows me to create visceral images using color and form as an interpretive element. This may be a manipulation of hues beyond what they are in life, such as purples paired with blues and oranges to represent flesh. A vibrant color palette also serves to convey the saturated and sharp quality of traumatic memory and deep seated anger. The juxtaposition of more abstracted figures with more highly rendered images emphasizes the chasm between reality and perceptions of self corrupted by trauma. By altering reality, I speak to the idea of the fragility of memory. In part, my work is an attempt to manage my own personal trauma and reconcile reality with distorted perceptions. They are a way for me to try to find and reassemble the parts of myself that were taken away, but I cannot see clearly enough to put them back together.
Reassembly I,
2020,
Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 36 inches
Reassembly III, 2021, Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches
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Reassembly II, 2021, Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches
Reassembly IV, 2020, Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches
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Reassembly V, 2021, Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches
Reassembly VI (Hail [REDACTED], Full of Rage), 2021, Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches