maggie evans 

artist statement: collective behavior and parallel narratives

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Western art has long emphasized the uniqueness of each human being.  But beneath myths of rugged individualism lie identical human compulsions that transcend cultural divides.  The need to self-organize into hierarchical belief systems and the desire to be part of a group surfaces and resurfaces regardless of geographical and historical boundaries.  Yet this need for direction and inclusion is a direct contradiction to the individuality celebrated as the defining characteristic of what it means to be human.  

 

In my work I use repetitive, uniform imagery to examine the personal, yet universal struggle between the search for individuality and the need to belong.  Nebulous sameness is more important than establishing specific locations.  Endless rows of homogeneous buildings contrast sparse, undefined interiors.  Yet we are vaguely aware that these ubiquitous structures are filled with individual narratives that we all share.   As light filters through the windows, a diffused hope is offered in contrast to the fabricated world that we are all trying to navigate. 

 

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