Kim Weston

Seen, Unseen

Artist Statement

My work bridges everyday and ceremonial experiences, between past losses and current ones, and among ancestors and future generations. My series Seen/Unseen, documents my deceased grandmother and grandfather’s home in Cheraw, South Carolina. The photos capture the literal, material experience of death, as seen in an image of my grandmother’s body resting in a coffin. Exhibited on wallpaper, the photos honor a personal loss while also exploring larger themes related to liminal spaces, memory, place, and identity. The photos show the way spirit and memory resonate in one’s belongings, the home, and the surrounding land. Others expose light that either reads as apparitions or capture something of the “spirit” that my relatives felt in the house while I photographed, presenting slippage between absence and presence.

My reflection on the life of my visibly beautiful grandmother, who was part of the Cherokee tribe despite rarely speaking of it, complements my exploration of Native American culture and threats faced by women in other works. Photos of dancers at Powwows link the past and present. Powwows, organized as a circuit throughout the country including in New England, continue traditions and provide a platform for connecting and education. My large-scale photographs freeze movement and a play of light and color that allows the viewer to “see” that which is otherwise “unseen.” The photos create an effect of blurred time and defy a fixed state of identification.