Artist's Statement - Holly Marie Armishaw

According to French art critic, Jean-Francois Lyotard, in his essay “What is Post-Modernism?” he writes, “It must be clear that it is our business not to supply reality, butto invent allusions to the conceivable, which cannot be presented.”1 Lyotard's statementrefers to all fine art mediums, and is certainly applicable to photography. With the advent of digital imaging, we are allowed an arena in which to make what was previouslyunphotographable, more readily available. We are creating meaning through therestructuring of “real” images and are able to hypothesize the future.

"Les Mondes - Frax 4D" 2001

In the past, my work has been described as dystopian. This new series reflects an ambiguity, perhaps even a utopia. Using analog photography with digital imaging, I havecombined both experiences and imagination. The digital elements of my work alwaysseem to stand for the hypothetical, the imaginative, whereas the photographic remainsbased in a neutral "reality". The images are metaphors, which can be subjective inmeaning for each viewer. For some they may represent something of longing - material, spiritual, or otherwise. For others, they may represent fear of the unknown, perhaps alienor menacing. Either way, the images reflect things to be - hopes, dreams, fears and desires. In this way they are subjective, but they are rendered through my vision which iscomplex, abstract and beautiful with elements both subconsciously chemical andconsciously digital. They are my world, inner and outer.

24 x 36" Lightjet metallic prints, sintra mounted

1 Lyotard, Jean-Francois. “What is Post-modernism?” Art in Theory 1900-1990: An Anthology of

Changing Ideas. Eds. Charles Harrison and Paul Wood. (Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell Publishers, 1993),

pg. 1015.