Emma Duiven: BFA Artist Talk

Facilitated by Western Gallery intern Amelia O'Brien.

Artist Statement

My creative research explores the intersections of nostalgia, identity, and the evolving concept of “home.” I investigate home as both a physical structure and an emotional space. It’s something that shapes us, but it’s also reshaped by our experiences. Through sculpture, I engage with tangible elements of domestic life, while my prints act as decorations that reflect the emotional resonance of these spaces. My work is rooted in personal experiences of instability, contrasted by the grounding sense of belonging found in more recent, self-chosen homes. Through making the work, I reflect on how shared domestic environments can foster connection, while also acknowledging how our understanding of “home” shifts over time.

Influenced by Surrealism and the uncanny, I gravitate toward objects that feel simultaneously familiar and strange, like unstable memories or fragmented dreams. Leaving my childhood home brought an environment for a more free expression of my queer identity. I aim to hold the comfort of home in tension with the distance I now feel from it. That sense of growth, while liberating, also makes revisiting former spaces emotionally complex.

Branches grow from chairs, transforming inviting places of rest into unusable forms. Silverware made from chain link becomes impractical the moment it is picked up. Desserts placed atop the fridge evoke celebration and care, yet they offer no real nutritional sustenance. From afar, the installation feels playful and vibrant, echoing the aesthetics of my chosen adult environments. But upon closer inspection, these spaces quietly resist comfort, mirroring the emotional distance of returning to past lives.