Liz Jaff

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

I use repetition and the interplay of light, shadow and form to tell stories of resiliency, vulnerability, permanence and impermanence. Poetry, biographies, fairy tales and myths are foundations for creating personal narratives with installations and objects. The large-scale, site-specific installations are theatrical and transformative, using repeated elements that respond to the architectural nuances of each space. These immersive environments evoke a dream like quality, suggesting portals to fairy tales and hidden realms. The installations reinvent existing architecture and along with the sculptures emphasize the unique structural possibilities and characteristics of materials. The objects are talisman which celebrate people and reflect on the unique experiences and narratives of individuals whether literary, mythical or from my personal life. With these I hope to underscore our shared human experience. The cut paper works feature layered grids cut and folded to create sculptural reliefs. They are collaborations with light and shadow which define and accentuate their forms. These pieces embody ruminative reflections on moments and sensations- familiar smells, feelings, recollections- serving as meditative counts of time and repositories of memories. The repetition becomes an act of devotion. I invite the viewer into a space where art becomes a daydream, a personal exploration of memory’s role in shaping experience. Many of the most recent objects pictured here were made...

Artwork