Submerge / Emerge, 2023

11x14 Silver gelatin prints with Polaroid emulsion transfers

This body of work navigates the depths of personal rediscovery through multi-layered iterations of Nebraska's landscape and infrastructure. Leaving behind a land lush with lakes for the "flat water" state, the artist's change in address also offered a welcome shift in perspective. These metaphorical self-portraits represent how positive transformation is often innately tied to the physical place one chooses to inhabit. 

Beginning with inverted, out of focus, and/or underexposed photos shot on expired film, the fusion of color on these inherently flawed grayscale prints imitates life's inevitable challenges and joys coming together. The interplay of Polaroid snaps reveal puzzle pieces highlighting the importance of our past in shaping our present: a testament to the fact that as we evolve and grow, our past remains integral in our journey of becoming.

Submerge / Emerge offers a visual metaphor for renewal, rooted in the unyielding and adaptive nature of water. Just as a Polaroid's emulsion is freed from the confines of its square frame after immersion in boiling water, this series invites viewers to dive into their own depths, to embrace the currents of change, and to surface with a brighter, more vibrant outlook on the ever-evolving world around them.