Stacy Holloway : Curiouser and Curiouser at Edington Gallery

STACEY HOLLOWAY
Statement

I am a visual storyteller. The form of the narrative has been used for centuries to entertain, to preserve culture and to instill morals. Stories can be used to bridge cultures, languages and age barriers. Similar to Aesop, my interests lie in the animal realm and using specific animal attributes to explore how our formative process make up who we might become, or who we are attempting to become. Within the animal kingdom, strong societies are formed within herds, unusual interspecies friendships and adaptation is required, pure instinctual capabilities are necessary for survival, and body language, sounds and scents are used to declare disfavor, profess love, announce dominance, and express pain. Bestial forms, architectural drafting and installations then become the place for metaphors and narratives of uncertainty and longing.

Curiouser and Curiouser is a body of surreal installations that focus on interspecies bonds or altercations, as well as the outcasts, outsiders and foreigners of a herd. Alienation, isolation, and longing are emotions that we have all felt at some point, whether it be true exile or of our own perspective. Sometimes, when we feel excluded from one group, we gravitate towards another. The acknowledgement of the various species’ differences can then be seen as a single herd of advantages. Through my research, I have found that interspecies adoption and friendships have become common occurrences.