15 Jun Izzy Fernandez — MEMORY MAPS
OCA is excited to announce its first in-person exhibition in the wake of the pandemic, opened this Friday, July 3rd at The Monarch. “Memory Maps” is a solo show for local emerging artist Izzy Fernandez, a current student at Weber State University whose work reflects on the fragmented and artificial nature of memory and identity. Izzy (they/them) utilizes materials such as discarded fabric or objects, raw canvas, and thread to create sculptural paintings that symbolize a maze of reconstructed memories.
“This idea of stretching memory beyond its reasonable limits and filling in gaps with my own imagination is something at work in all of my paintings,” says Izzy. “In my work I depict memory as something you can stretch, pick and pull at.”
Izzy spent their childhood on the move, resulting in feelings of incompleteness due to constant relocation. A substantial stint in Hawaii inspired the body of work presented for “Memory Maps,” which includes paintings, paper mache sculpture and video installations that collectively represent the fluidity of re-imagined experience. The artist’s tactile process of sewing, stitching and impasto painting gives form and feeling to memories both missed and remembered. “To fill in the cracks where memory fails me, I utilize fantasy,” says Izzy. “To do this, I mutate the image and/or idea of the grid and the quilt as a way to disrupt these motifs of time and narrative. I also employ chroma-key and paper mache in my video practice to visually alter narratives and create fantasy worlds.”
While Izzy’s range of media supports the overarching narrative of their work, it’s also representative of a young artist’s exploration as they seek to find their voice and establish their practice. “I’m still a student; I’m still learning and hope that I’ll always be,” states Fernandez, who graduates next spring with a BFA in photography. Izzy’s post-graduate plans include a scholarship-funded trip to Europe, where they’ll study the art of ancient Greece in relation to the work of contemporary Greek artists. OCA is proud to feature such a promising young artist in our community and look forward to following their continued success in Utah and beyond.
This show will run from July 3rd through August 1st, 2020.