Lauren Hoffman

Artist statement

My grandpa and I have had a close bond for as long as I can remember. Much of my work is rooted in the memories we¡¯ve built together and how those memories reflect in who I am. Using materials from his home, I scavenged fabrics, wrapping papers, metals, and plastics to create a two-dimensional collage portrait of the two of us. Meticulously placing these materials on the canvas, I was able to show the little girl who adores her grandpa. Through these memories, I've captured how he¡¯s influenced and shaped me into the person I am today. 

At the beginning of this semester, I intended to work solely with found materials since found material collaging is the medium I feel I can express myself most fully. But when my grandpa gifted me a slide viewer, I knew I had something special that I needed to incorporate into my body of work. As I sifted through old photographs of us, I selected images of us two or ones he had taken of me, then created my own homemade slides. Though not like the ones from my grandpa¡¯s era, I was able to bridge together our two generations by interpreting a practice from my grandpa¡¯s time into a visual representation of our bond in my time.