Jeremy Bruce
Memories are sites where a person simultaneously recalls, constructs, and distorts experiences of their past life, fusing real-life happenings with unique interpretation. My work utilizes the sacred space of the canvas as a site to document my own memories of childhood, companionship, loss, and despair. I combine paint with ready-made images in order to explore how memories exist on the cusp between reality and fantasy, as imaginative and emotional entities.
In my practice, I am strongly influenced by Hannah Höch, Jennifer Packer, Mark Rothko, and Virgil Abloh. These creators have shown me how to use vivid colors, compose expressive collages, and translate personal memories into visual artworks. They have guided my creation of pieces like Growing Pains, 2022, which focuses on the progression of my identity and mental well-being throughout my life so far, and how persisting through this progression felt uncomfortable at times.