Rotterdam Photo

Mardoe Painter

Mom’s Body As Vehicle For Narratives

Analysing and Re-appropriating Dad’s Snapshots. This installation derived from analysing and selecting similar patterns in my family photo albums. These albums contain mainly snapshots taken by my Dad, (mostly) of my Mom, over a period of two to three decades.

The emphasis is not on aesthetics, it is a personal and authentic documentation of many vacations, and daily life happenings, set in a liberal western culture. The significance for showcasing this personal project is to display a basic story of love and admiration, yet it also exhibits universal themes such as social frameworks, banalities, old fashioned stereotypes, and at times a hint of bittersweet lonesomeness.

These narratives would remain invisible within the context of the family albums. As part of an installation, the photos shift in concept from individual to collective memories. New connotations surface by juxtaposing and combining photos of different origins. The undertone of this personal project is figuring out a bit of an unconventional relationship between my parents, and how that has shaped me…

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Website: mardoepainter.com

Instagram: @mardoepainter

Rotterdam Photo

Vierhavensstraat 56, 3029 BG Rotterdam