Advisor: Isak Berbic

SAUDADE

Saudade – (n.) A melancholic longing or nostalgia for a person, place or thing that is far away either spatially or in time – a vague, dreaming wistfulness for phenomena that may not even exist.

“Saudade” delves into the mysterious nature of dreams and sleep, weaving together personal experience, psychological exploration, and artistic vision. The project stands as a narrative, inspired by themes and ideas often presented in the artist’s dreams and life. Themes revolve around love, relationships, unrequitedness, pining, and ultimately, saudade. The exhibition comprises 15 photographs, a video, and a sculptural piece. Through abstraction and surrealism, the artist tries to guide the viewer through a visual experience of sleeping and dreaming, which occur in the unconscious. The series of photographs employ image composite techniques, long exposures, and the extreme use of darkness, mirroring the ethereal nature of dreams.
At the core of this exploration lies the artist’s fascination with the multifaceted nature of dreams. Understanding, dissecting, and remembering dreams is an integral part of the artist’s life, and she tries to depict this psychological occurrence visually. The goal of this exhibition is to capture the essence of the dream state, blurring the boundaries between the tangible and the intangible. Creating and viewing these works act as a mode in which the artist and viewer alike can process the unknown and ever-fleeting reality within their subconscious.

Title: Dream State, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 11” x 14”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Reaching, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Reaching, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Reaching combines the artist’s body and nature to convey restriction, a common theme in her dreams. The branch acts as the artist’s arm, tangled and squeezed by the chain link fence. The hand represents the constant longing for something to grab– reaching into the open air and abyss of the sky.

Title: Running, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Running, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Running, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Running is a photo triptych, where the artist is seen running in complete darkness. The viewer is left to ask what she is running from. Where is she running to? The darkness weaves together the abyss that is the mind during the dream state, and the night in which we leave reality and enter our subconscious blackhole.

Title: Fall Back, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 11” x 14”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Toss and Turn, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Toss and Turn, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Ghost, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 11” x 14”, Medium: Analog photography

This series of images were created using a long shutter speed. This allows for the blurring effect and the bright blasts of light. These photographs play with the ideas of physical sleep, and the dream state. The artist’s body appears as a ghost or spirit, hovering around the place where she lays to rest– for the night.

Title: Sleep a While, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 20” x 26” x 6”, Medium: Sculpture

Title: Sleep a While, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 20” x 26” x 6”, Medium: Sculpture

Sleep a While is a sculpture of a hardened pillow, with the impression of the artist’s sleep position. It represents the physicality of the sleeping body, but the impression and lack of being demonstrate the psychological and subconscious experience of dreaming. What happens to our body when we dream? How can we be in our dreams and also in our beds?

Rooted In is a video work depicting a dream sequence. Inspired by the repetitive themes in the artist’s dreams, Rooted In follows a character who continually struggles to complete a task. Using common dream symbols such as losing teeth, the video portrays a surreal and confusing plot line.

Saudade is woven into the very being of the artist. It infiltrates her thoughts and feelings, especially her dreams.

Title: Fallen, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 11” x 14”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Double Sided, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 11” x 14”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Spotlight, Date: 2024, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Up Close, Date: 2023, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography

Title: Up Close, Date: 2023, Dimensions: 8” x 10”, Medium: Analog photography