Aaron Cobbett

Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Artist statement

The transformative power of costumes, hair / make-up and stagecraft has been the driving force behind my photography, film and performance since the mid 1990’s. In 2013, feeling the need to shift towards a more tactile practice, I started developing techniques of merging photography and textiles, eventually making lens based quilts. These works reflect my history in New York’s underground queer nightlife, its inhabitants and stories . Using queer vernacular, remnants of past drag, old sets and costumes, along with repurposed clothing and hand-me-downs, these works physically and metaphorically stitch together the detritus of a queer life lived. As a survivor of the AIDS crisis, the repurposing of memory to foster healing, renewal and a sense of purpose is a function of daily survival as much as it is an artistic practice. The events of the past year are a stark reminder to those of us who survived AIDS. As the structures and systems we took for granted break down we are once again forced to confront the ephemeral nature of reality. With the ground shifting beneath our feet, we acknowledge the need for a ‘higher’ practice, one that recognizes interconnectivity between ourselves, our fellow beings and the Earth. Fiber is an apt medium for the exploration of these ideas. It's woven strands echo the hidden structures of nature and the universe. The act of stitching, sewing and joining together of materials fuses craft and memory. The residual life energies stored in worn and...

Artwork