Photographer’s rebirth of ‘artistic self’
Exhibit explores the complexities, constructs of female identity
Teaching at California Institute of the Arts, Sage Paisner took notice of the talents of his students. As the owner of Foto Forum Santa Fe, Paisner still notices those touches of brilliance.
This is why Paisner invited artist Brandy Trigueros to do a solo show at Foto Forum Santa Fe.
“Brandy was one of my students at CalArts and I thought her work was powerful,” he says. “Her use of color and self-portraits are spectacular. She is also talking about femininity and motherhood. Her pieces are striking and beautiful.”
Trigueros’ “There’s No Other Like Your Mother” runs through Jan. 28, 2022.
Through memory, metaphor, and imagined destinies, “There’s No Other Like Your Mother” seeks to explore the complexities and constructs of female identity and the maternal subject as she reconceives her fertile state of being.
“The sudden death of my mother prompted the (re)birth of my artistic self at the age of 29 and the emergence of this series which contemplates my own shifting identity, once firmly rooted in the domestic tradition but now seemingly unmoored,” Trigueros writes. “This personal photographic juncture examines the psychological inner states of ambiguity and desire as I decide whether to undergo the seminal transformation into matrescence: the anticipation of love and playfulness; the apprehension of bringing a child into a climate changed world and future of ecological uncertainty; the concern of economic insecurity; the fear that not having a child will yield a heavy loneliness.”
Trigueros is a Los Angelesbased artist who uses the narrative space of the camera to playfully create staged inquisitions of femininity, memoir, and the ongoing transformation of self.
After years of working in publishing at the Los Angeles Times and animation at Nickelodeon, she began pursuing her artistic practice full-time. There are more than 20 pieces featured in the exhibit.
Paisner says being able to showcase Trigueros’ work is an amazing opportunity for Foto Forum and Santa Fe.
“She has an interesting background being in publishing and animation,” he says. “Her thinking has been ahead of the game. I really loved her work when she was a student of mine. Santa Fe will get a chance to see a body of work.”