Interview

Jan 31

Amy Selwyn

Amy Selwyn creates refracted portraits excavated from memory and myth that assert, I am here. Simultaneously expanding and compressing time, the portraits insist on the continuity of presence. A visual artist, writer, and storyteller based in the seacoast area of New Hampshire, Amy is a transplanted NY’er, and Londoner. Amy is working toward her MFA in Mixed Media from Maine Media Workshops and College, Rockport, ME. She specializes in creating refracted portraits constructed from memory and myth, using photography, storytelling, performance and alternative processes. Amy’s work has been featured in Lens Magazine, The Curated Fridge (Winter ’22 ,Spring ’23, Summer '23, and Fall '23), the Firehouse Arts Center (Newburyport, MA), the SE Center for Photography “Botanicals” and "Strange, Weird and Unique" shows, and in various exhibitions at The Griffin Museum. Amy earned her BA from Cornell University and her MBA from New York University. and the Stockholm School of Economics. Amy is currently exploring the uses of AI (DALL-E and Midjourney) to (re)create the ideas of family portraiture and family memory.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“ I’ve been in love with stories and storytelling all my life. As a kid, I had my nose in a book or, if I wasn’t reading, I was at the movie theater. I became a writer and then later spent decades in the news business. When I turned 60, I gave myself a big present: a DSLR camera and a photography workshop trip to Cuba. I had no idea what I was doing; I barely knew how to operate the camera. But, the magic! I discovered in that seven-day period that I could bring the storytelling passion to a new level. And I truly never looked back. I had always loved art and I’ve always been a museumgoer and a gallery-hopper. So I was lucky to have some idea of the history of the medium. It has just all come together for me and I’m now pursuing my MFA in Media Arts at Maine Media.”

What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?

“My work is deeply personal and therefore hopefully, also universal. I seek to explore identity and the genre of portraiture. What I am aiming to do is redefine what a portrait captures. I am deeply influenced by the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres, for example, who specifically sought to create portraits that move back and forth in timer rather than capture one moment of a lifetime. I look at ancestry and history, family stories and myths, dreams, memories, and myth. How we tell our histories, whose histories are recorded – and by whom – these are political concerns that drive my work.”

Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?

“I prefer the word “intuition” to “improvisation,” actually. I do not plan my work in advance. Not really. I have a point of departure, yes. I have something I want to explore. But I do not have a shot list or even a final version in mind. I work to listen to my intuition, to push into what feels different, maybe even a little uncomfortable and to scamper down rabbit holes. Process is super important to me – possibly more important than the work itself!”

Are there any art world trends you are following?

“I am following lots of ‘em! But I would say that the movement to take work off the wall and to display/install work in non-conventional, even pop-up, spaces is very exciting to me. The chances are good that I will never get a show at, say, the Guggenheim. But there are so many incredibly exciting ways in which to present art publicly and involve viewers so that they become participants in the work. In many ways, this is a return to the 1960’s and the “happenings” of, say, Fluxus artists like Joseph Beuys and Yoko Ono. It's very exciting to me. I am also following the amazing work that is being done in AI these days. I love Phillip Toledano’s work on “Another America,” for example. Fran Forman’s work, Diana Nicolette Jeon’s work, Refik Anadol, and more.”

What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?

“I try to be open to ongoing stimulation. I read a lot - like, a real lot! I watch films, I go to exhibitions and lectures. I try to keep feeding my imagination. That’s a big part of my process. Not that I’m aiming to steal other peoples’ ideas! Not at all. I’m looking for inspiration, and big shoulders on which to stand. Then all of that is in my conscious and sub-conscious when I sit down to my computer and start creating work. Because I do a lot of work involving AI, prompts are a key part of the work, as well. I dig for prompts that will poetically express what I’m feeling. There is craft in prompting. When I get something that I find intriguing, I only allow myself to edit in AI. I do not use Photoshop or even Lightroom. The work is a collaboration between my imagination and the algorithm.”

“My work is deeply personal and therefore hopefully, also universal. I seek to explore identity and the genre of portraiture.”

What does your art mean to you?

“It’s who I am. I do not distinguish between work and play, or work time and non-work time. I am always working because I am always thinking and observing and letting my imagination wander. I am excited about my life because I spend my time creating stories that help ground me, give me a sense of purpose, help me find my tribe.”

What’s your favorite artwork and why?

“That is an impossible question! I have many, many works of art that blow me away – from Picasso’s “Guernica” to Carrie Mae Weems’ “Kitchen Table Series.” I can answer the question in terms of something that has me excited right at this very minute, however. I am doing a deep dive into Judy Chicago’s “The Dinner Party.” It’s a symbolic history of women in civilization. The vastness of the work results in transformation - a powerful recognition of not only women’s achievements but also women’s struggle for recognition and agency. It’s history. And it’s a form of portraiture. I find it extraordinarily important.”