ARTIST STATEMENT
Artwork 1: In the the summer of 2024 I started a collaboration with Cassandra Adame. Cassandra was born, raised and still lives on the El Paso/Juarez border. Since becoming an adult, Cassandra has crossed the U.S./Mexico border almost every day. This passage is fraught with regulations, militarization and escalating tension. Since she has navigated this space her entire life she has taken on practices to help her survive, maintain her dignity and remain a human amidst a system that is constantly trying to wipe away humanity. This video collage is a 1-minute excerpt of an in-prgoress documentary short film.
Artwork 2: The materials from this series were collected from the top three U.S. newspapers in 2017 during the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. The images have gone through a process that I created by laminating the original newspaper images. After lamination, the images are cut out again, soaked in water, pulled apart, scraped of all paper pulp, and layered back together. From this process, a new image is created that shows the front and back of the newspaper simultaneously. I refer to these images as “ghost images”. Artwork 3: The strips of text extend out from a mirrored surface that hangs on the wall. The viewer, when standing in front of the piece, is faced with their distorted reflection and is unable to read the words. When they step to the side, they can read the words but are unable to see themselves in the mirrored surface.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Heather Mawson is an interdisciplinary artist and educator that views process, layering, collage and archiving as the foundation of her practice. She uses time-based media and everyday materials to investigate how U.S. economic and political systems shape personhood. Mawson received her BFA in Fine Arts from The University of Texas at El Paso and an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally with a focus on artist-run spaces. Mawson lives in Detroit and teaches at Wayne State University.
© Heather Mawson