Cover: Detail, Brooke Shaden, Endowment, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 31 x 31 in. Ed of 2
JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present SAMSARA, a solo exhibition of new works by photographer Brooke Shaden. Drawn from the Sanskrit word meaning “world,” the title refers to the cyclicality of life, death, and rebirth. Liketheconceptsuggestingthatworldlylifeisacircuitof inescapableconstantchange,Shadenbalancescontroland surrender throughout her intricate compositions to capturealifelongfascinationwiththebeautyofmortality.
Combining allegorical symbolism with personal narrative, Shaden integrates differing cultural perspectives and rituals surrounding death. Devising and reflecting transformed images through a digital editing process, the resulting compositions are simultaneously familiar, yet otherworldly.AsShadencreatesarich,uncomfortable,and open space to dissect the internalization of grief, imagery such as a glass hearse from India and Tibetan Sky Burials further illuminate how anguish manifests based on culture,location,andspiritualbeliefs.Throughherstylistic alterations, unsettling visuals unify these ideologies throughtheuniversalrealityofdeath:vulnerabilityfeltby both the dying and by the bereft. Expanding on this vulnerabilitythroughnudityandpositioningofthehuman form, her images are tonally and thematically representationalofexistenceandimpermanence.
Shaden’s profound connection to storytelling and materiality combine her painterly aesthetics with mixed media. Seeking a karmic balance through the use of organicadditionsofsand,dirt,andhair,Shadenintensifies andcomplimentsatmospherictextures.Accompanyingthe framed original mixed media photographs, SAMSARA features sculptural components, redacted eulogies that serve as short poems, and an auditory experience. The multifaceted use of materials are themselves a form of samsara, a cycle of life in which elements are repurposed inanunendingflow.
Brooke Shaden’s work will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize. With visual perceptions always changing, peek behind the stories told and you're sure to find the right artistic expression.
Adipocere (Triptych), Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 16.25 x 33.5 in. Ed of 2
Coupled, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 31 x 31 in. Ed of 2
Endowment, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 31 x 31 in. Ed of 2
Gossamer, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 31 x 31 in. Ed of 2
Reliquary, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 31 x 31 in. Ed of 2
Skyscraping, Photo with Mixed Media on Velvet FineArt Paper, 20 x 31.25 in. Ed of 2
Published in conjunction with the exhibition: SAMSARA: Brooke Shaden
Winter/Spring 2023
JoAnneArtman Gallery
326 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA92651
346 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA92651
511AW 22nd St, NewYork, NY10011
Catalogue © JoAnneArtman Gallery
Artwork © Brooke Shaden