Josie Freeman: Cut, Pierce, Pile
From the artist: “cut, pierce, pile is an exploration of the pain and anxiety felt within identity as it is expressed in the context of growing up as a woman during the rise of internet culture. My final pieces are rugs worked from self-portraits into images removed from myself, the forms remain bodily but become amorphous with bold color palettes and shapes or lines coursing through the form and interrupting visual reading of the original portrait. The process of rug tufting involves heavy machinery with violent speed and power while the final product is a soft, colorful object made of yarn. The violence found in this production mirrors many aspects of life: as we are forced to grow and accommodate new challenges, we must form a new self in the scope of these circumstances. This formation is often destructive, angry, and consuming. Our old self becomes useless in the face of new life, and we may not recognize the material from which this rebirth occurs. Much like tufting, the source image my final product is wrought from becomes obsolete and unrecognizable. But while this change is painful, the result is new and serves a purpose.”