Benjamin Hunt

Lives and works in Sun Valley, ID

Artist statement

In my work I am searching for identity by associating memory and family relationships to textiles. By working with my cultural Identity through interdisciplinary processes I am creating connections to historical memory of my Ukraine heritage. Ukrainian folk art and handicraft, specifically embroidery, has symbolic meaning often meant as protection against evil. The Vyshyvanka, the official costume of Ukraine, is an embroidered shirt that symbolizes carrying one's family with them. I’ve referenced the Vyshyvanka throughout my work by using traditional embroidery on screen-printed portraits of my family. These soft sculptures evoke nostalgic memories of my experience of visiting family in Ukraine. My mother shared that my Ukrainian great-grandmother was very talented at embroidery. By using dated materials such as rugs and upholstery fabric, sewing and embroidery become a process to culturally reconnect to my great-grandmother's artisan skills. By creating soft sculptures, I search for a way to connect with lost traditions and the memory of my family. Through the ongoing excavation of my Ukrainian Identity, the family portraits were the starting point to ethnopolitical discourses between Ukrainian Immigration and the Russification of Ukrainian Culture.

Artwork