It’s no surprise that our pasts influence our present, giving reason to our current actions and behaviors. My own past has held a tight grip on me as I move forward, pulling me back into the dark habits it encourages. I focus on this concept in Escape Within, where I materialize my past and its influence on me by using frames to symbolize the connection between my psyche and my physical actions. Past experiences have materialized into the shadowy figures seen that have power over me even without existing in the physical world as I do. They can be seen only within the frame while I can be seen grasping at the frame and attempting to escape from it, pulling myself outside of it as that grip from within the frame remains strong. This piece shows the negative relationship with my psyche as I struggle to move forward in the present tense without being held back by past traumas. Even with that struggle, the grip that the inside of the frame has is inescapable, representing the connection between mind and body: our past and our actions. The mind and its effects on one’s actions are inescapable, with the frame acting as a vessel to show that connection.
Escape Within, 2022. Black and white charcoal on red stained wood. 48″x 28″.
Detail shots of Escape Within.
Alexis McKinnon 