Sitaara Stodel - A gentle fog settled on the horizon

Opens 5 November at kumalo | turpin

Through collage, I explore how the found image functions as a site of memory, loss, and contested belonging, while inscribing my own narratives and associations onto their surfaces. I remove all people from my collages, so I can insert myself into this new narrative with hopes that the viewer can do the same. Objects and houses are recycled into new stories, taken from other people’s family photographs spanning over 100 years.

Memory has a funny way of remixing the past. Perhaps you have a photograph of a special occasion that you look at from time to time, but you’re not quite sure if this event is something you just fabricated into a memory by looking at the image over many years. Things like storytelling and the passage of time passing can spit out your version of the truth, making recollections hazy. Pairing my memories of growing up constantly on the move and the very different kinds of displacement my ancestors faced manifests in fragmented collages trying to piece together the past and present in an attempt find a sense of belonging.