Artist Statement

My work is primarily narrative, relying more heavily on image than text. The narratives I explore are most often born from autobiography and develop as influenced by fairly tale, myth, and the study of psychology and lexicology. I am interested in how identity is constructed, especially in how my own identity formation is affected by negotiations with gender and the consequences of development and evolution. I am inspired by the strength that grows from a place of sadness and loss, and the aesthetic of my work reflects the fragile beauty of vulnerability and fortitude.

Materials play a symbolic role in my work. I often employ collage and assemblage as techniques to take advantage of ephemera and found objects that are imbued with nostalgia. I call upon the material culture of gender to give voice to the characters in the stories I am telling. Time based, multi sensory media are preferred vehicles for the telling of the story, so much of my work takes the form of books, installation, and most recently, animation and film.

For me, it is the making of things that generates the stories I tell, and often the material processes I employ enter into the work alongside the linear narrative. My goal is to reveal the most personal in an attempt to address the existence of a collective identity that allows a space for connection and communication between artist and audience. I work toward this goal by creating art independently and in collaboration with members of Cæsura, an artists’ collective I cofounded in 2009, and seeking traditional and non-traditional venues through which I may share this art with a larger community.

copyright JE Baker 2006-2009