Emily Kalwaitis

Had you glimpsed inside my pocket?

Did you see my charms and seeds?

I am interested in that which is half-hidden and mysterious.  I’m drawn to subtle emotional states, what’s innermost, and often suppressed.  I’m drawn to things that fade.

My most recent work centers around young girls.  The figures appear in spare, symbolic vignettes.  Each piece stands as a part of an on-going, ambiguous narrative reflecting stories of vulnerability, reverence, loss, growth and spirit.

Dreams, fairytales and childhood memories greatly influence my images, which often evolve from an impression left by a dream or suddenly recalled early experience.  My interest in fairytales comes mostly from deeply connecting to them as a child, especially those in which the main character is female who, faced with limitations, prevails because of her purity and endurance.  Kiki Smith, Joseph Cornell and Virginia Woolf have inspired me.

Text taken from www.emilykalwaitis.com