CJ Pressma

Louisville, Kentucky

Weave Suite: Cuban Folk Art;
digital print,
41" x 40", 2004

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I constantly search for the evidence of human existence while rarely photographing humans themselves. Simple objects, random markings and accidental collages discovered while exploring a new place hold great fascination for me. When photographing, I seek out seemingly empty spaces, abandoned buildings, obscure marks, and discarded or lost objects, all evidence of many lives lived in anonymity. I am equally interested in wall graphics used to mark territory, make political statements, and "personalize" public spaces, strong personal expressions left by seemingly invisible people.

For many years I had no clue as to why I was so attracted to these present day "details" of our society. Lately, I have come to realize that the images that attract me are like the clues an anthropologist finds, which validate the existence of a past culture. From these diverse artifacts scientists can build an amazingly complete history of a people, a society, a culture that no longer exists. Today we accept these reconstructed histories as truths.

In 1998 I began combining elements of these personally selected artifacts into a "truth" I hope the public will accept. I utilize a montage format to accommodate a variety of disparate items within one compositional context. This enables me to invite greater viewer participation and speculation regarding the harmonies and connections within each piece.

Constructing cultural history in this manner is in no way consistent with the "scientific process" used by anthropologists or social scientists. But what if, by some strange accident of survival, one or more of these collages become a major clue about our current culture for scientists attempting to reconstruct a social history thousands of years from now? Can what we now accept as the "truth" really be that arbitrary?

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