NIKKITA CARNELL

ARTIST STATEMENT

Through my practice, I want to challenge the nature of perception by using our notions of mundanity to shift the viewer from their imposed sphere of understanding. Through painting my subjective reality that I attempt to shift the viewer into a state of unfamiliarity. I want to induce this notion of disassociation as I believe it is only by viewing the world objectively that we can perceive its truest form. By forcing ourselves to distance ourselves from the framework that has become a prerequisite for our comprehension we can reflect upon the world with a fresh perspective. My work explores the world through objects. Using the teachings of the philosophy of perception I delve into my relationship with the world and how the connections I make inform my understanding of the subjective reality I am surrounded by. 

I have most recently been exploring my memory through objects. While most of my childhood was documented rigorously the time I lived with my estranged mother represents a void in my memory. I want to re-possess this time by using appropriated imagery of objects to stage paintings of these memories. These works give a sense of the space through a clinical relocation of my past, showing a purgatory between the known and the unknown. While memories exist in a state of fluidity, it is through the act of painting that my memory is solidified.