Artist Statement
My work lies in the realm of sanctuary. More than a safe space, sanctuary is an area where safety might exist. The concept of landscape becomes a framework for an emotional experience. Spatial imagery affects us viscerally, from a gut level of identity. My life has led me to understand and accept violent change as a natural force. Both vulnerability and survival are in constant play.
An expression consists of light and color that references our shared and private knowledge: our spaces and our surroundings tell us who we are. In installation of spaces detailing narratives of our history as a species on the planet, in paintings of emotionally charged intensity, and in luminography and more forms of experimental photography, I build worlds that move between the intimate and the social. Between personal belief and the shared lexicon.
At the core of my work is a reflection on identity and strength, and the confrontation of permanence to rapid all-encompassing change. By presenting varied possible encounters with the work, the audience is made conscious of its relation to both the private and the public in their own worlds.
Lorenza Panero, December 2024