Jessica Burko
Artists Statement:
"Paper quilts and photographic mixed-media are my instruments of visual
autobiographical narrative. The work and I are disjointed, fragmented, broken
and mended. The work shows its unease by holding on to parts not born to
join. Stitching, collaging, and layering in my work are efforts to become
whole through bringing together discarded aspects of life, pieces of domestic
space, and photographic 'portraits of self' that act as mirrors to the inside
of my head. The use of sewing patterns in my work creates filmy layers of
tone while acting as formal lines through invented space. Originally used
as a prescription for creating sheathing for the body, they were discarded,
and are now used in no specified order, not representative of any set shape.
I combine these with other once set puzzle pieces and reconstruct their
meanings in new-found formations. All together these visual narratives are
winding blends of dream, fantasy, illusion, and history, perhaps forming
reality."