About & Contact
Erica McTurk lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. She received a B.F.A in Art and Art History from the University of Michigan in 2013, including a study abroad at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. Upon graduating, Erica moved to New York City where she received her Master of Arts in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She gained experience in the art world by working with galleries and interior designers, before accepting her current role as Project Manager and Controller for a portfolio of independent artist clients and galleries across the United States. Erica continues her education with courses at the International Center of Photography, New York. The artist’s current practice utilizes her own photography as source imagery to create autobiographical collages. The collages are carefully placed and positioned without the use of adhesive and rephotographed to produce the finished work.
Statement of practice:
My practice is an examination of potent memories and dreams illustrated through a combination of collage, photography, and self-portraiture. Situated between the beautiful and the bewildering, I highlight the vivid, and sometimes absurd details of these past experiences through the lens of obscurity. Through the multi-layered approach of rephotography, my images play upon a keen self-awareness while also inviting introspection and interpretation.
The collage elements themselves are impermanent. This ephemeral nature mirrors that of dreams, the natural surge and fade of emotions, and vague recollections of the past. In the collaging and fragmentation of my own photography and figure, I both celebrate and maim. I seek to construct a composition pleasing to the senses. At the same time, I cut apart my printed photographs and figure; I cannot ignore this desire to transform or distort. Essence, ambiguity, and synesthesia are paramount in my practice, often trumping the use of literal imagery. In this, I do not shy away from a finished piece that causes the viewer to pause and unravel its secret. It is within this tension and ambiguity that I center my practice.
Statement of practice:
My practice is an examination of potent memories and dreams illustrated through a combination of collage, photography, and self-portraiture. Situated between the beautiful and the bewildering, I highlight the vivid, and sometimes absurd details of these past experiences through the lens of obscurity. Through the multi-layered approach of rephotography, my images play upon a keen self-awareness while also inviting introspection and interpretation.
The collage elements themselves are impermanent. This ephemeral nature mirrors that of dreams, the natural surge and fade of emotions, and vague recollections of the past. In the collaging and fragmentation of my own photography and figure, I both celebrate and maim. I seek to construct a composition pleasing to the senses. At the same time, I cut apart my printed photographs and figure; I cannot ignore this desire to transform or distort. Essence, ambiguity, and synesthesia are paramount in my practice, often trumping the use of literal imagery. In this, I do not shy away from a finished piece that causes the viewer to pause and unravel its secret. It is within this tension and ambiguity that I center my practice.