Unmade
Haley Younce
Artist Statement: Unmade is a series of prints inspired by the investigation of coping mechanisms throughout my mental health journey. These images are derived from photographic references that documented the aftermath of my depressive episodes. Since adolescence, my bed has been a consistent means for an escape from my own thoughts and feelings and a fortress in which I surround myself to feel relief from everyday life. This series is a public confession of personal, vulnerable, and intimate moments that allow the viewer to identify with the work through shared experiences.
All these pieces are rendered from intaglio printmaking processes, including dry point, etchings, and aquatints. Intaglio lends itself to experimentation through a combination of careful and sporadic mark-making which allows for a textural quality within the work. Adding to the sensorial textures within the line work, I utilize Unryu Kozo, a handmade Japanese paper that displays a harsh and distorted quality when dried, referencing the folds and wrinkles within the sheets that are scattered over the bed. This use of material and overall presentation alludes to the inevitable cleansing of not only overused, unclean bedding, but also the cleansing of the mind and body.
For me, creating this body of work is and continues to be a cathartic act while simultaneously facilitating a conversation of perseverance and hope through mental illness. By depicting the beds alone with no semblance of physical space, I invite the viewer into the mind of the depressed, where the world outside of self-isolation is detached and insignificant. Both the use of embroidery and color play a role in aiding the viewer through the process of healing, one being a literal act of construction while the other is indicative of evolving emotion. Ultimately, I view these works not only as a representation of a physical unmade bed, but what the bed has consistently represented throughout my life: a hauntingly beautiful way to overcome mental health struggles.
The works in Tiny Gallery are an extension of the Unmade Series. The “crazy quilt”, a historical textile form characterized by the use of irregularly shaped pieces of fabric sewn together in an improvisational manner, serves as the foundation of this work. Utilizing remnants from “Unmade”, each piece begins with a process of sorting and arranging, as I consider the interplay of colors and patterns in each individual scrap. The resulting works are more abstract, layered compositions that invite the viewer to look closer and discover the hidden details within. Each piece is a testament to the power of transformation and the beauty that can emerge from the discarded and forgotten.
Artist Bio: Haley Younce is a printmaker whose current work explores human emotion and how domestic spaces play a role in mental rehabilitation. She received her BA in art education and MA in studio art from Morehead State University. Her work has been exhibited and published widely, including at The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in MO, The Loudoun House in KY, Living Arts and Science Center in KY, Artsplace Gallery in KY, “The Hand” International Magazine, and the Inscape Literary and Visual Arts Journal. She was also awarded the Great Meadows Foundation Travel grant for her body of work. Currently, she maintains a studio in Morehead, KY, and is a Lecturer of Visual Art at Morehead State University.
All these pieces are rendered from intaglio printmaking processes, including dry point, etchings, and aquatints. Intaglio lends itself to experimentation through a combination of careful and sporadic mark-making which allows for a textural quality within the work. Adding to the sensorial textures within the line work, I utilize Unryu Kozo, a handmade Japanese paper that displays a harsh and distorted quality when dried, referencing the folds and wrinkles within the sheets that are scattered over the bed. This use of material and overall presentation alludes to the inevitable cleansing of not only overused, unclean bedding, but also the cleansing of the mind and body.
For me, creating this body of work is and continues to be a cathartic act while simultaneously facilitating a conversation of perseverance and hope through mental illness. By depicting the beds alone with no semblance of physical space, I invite the viewer into the mind of the depressed, where the world outside of self-isolation is detached and insignificant. Both the use of embroidery and color play a role in aiding the viewer through the process of healing, one being a literal act of construction while the other is indicative of evolving emotion. Ultimately, I view these works not only as a representation of a physical unmade bed, but what the bed has consistently represented throughout my life: a hauntingly beautiful way to overcome mental health struggles.
The works in Tiny Gallery are an extension of the Unmade Series. The “crazy quilt”, a historical textile form characterized by the use of irregularly shaped pieces of fabric sewn together in an improvisational manner, serves as the foundation of this work. Utilizing remnants from “Unmade”, each piece begins with a process of sorting and arranging, as I consider the interplay of colors and patterns in each individual scrap. The resulting works are more abstract, layered compositions that invite the viewer to look closer and discover the hidden details within. Each piece is a testament to the power of transformation and the beauty that can emerge from the discarded and forgotten.
Artist Bio: Haley Younce is a printmaker whose current work explores human emotion and how domestic spaces play a role in mental rehabilitation. She received her BA in art education and MA in studio art from Morehead State University. Her work has been exhibited and published widely, including at The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in MO, The Loudoun House in KY, Living Arts and Science Center in KY, Artsplace Gallery in KY, “The Hand” International Magazine, and the Inscape Literary and Visual Arts Journal. She was also awarded the Great Meadows Foundation Travel grant for her body of work. Currently, she maintains a studio in Morehead, KY, and is a Lecturer of Visual Art at Morehead State University.
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Public Gallery Hours
Wednesday 12pm-5pm
Thursday 12pm-5pm Friday 12pm-5pm Saturday 12pm - 5pm Viewings also available by appointment |
The Loudoun House
209 Castlewood Dr. Lexington, Ky. 40505 Email: [email protected]
Phone 859-254-7024 |
All Lexington Art League programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts.
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The Kentucky Arts Council, a state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Art League with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Lexington Parks & Recreation.
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