| Title | Wrapped Ghost Book, Dog 1 |
| Artist / Creator | Liz Steketee |
| Artist's Nationality | United States |
| Place of Publication | San Rafael, CA |
| Publication Date | 2019 |
| Structure / Binding | Mixed media sculpture |
| Medium / Materials | Book, photography on fabric, thread, dye, wax |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 6 in x 3 x .5 inches |
| Edition Size | Unique Artist Book |
| Box / Wrapper | cloth bag and stand |
| Signed & Numbered | Unsigned, Unnumbered |
Wrapped Ghost Book, Dog 1 by Liz Steketee
$450.00 -
Please contact 23 Sandy for current availability.
WRAPPED: photography on fabric, wrapped and sewn around rocks, sticks, and books sewn with thread, dyed, and sealed with varnish.
WRAPPED is a re-examination of the photographic portrait and how it can be altered with new meaning. I consider every photograph I take a portrait in some way; a tree, a flower, a painting, a face. I believe they all have purpose and a story inside. From a lifetime of shooting, images are printed on fabric and wrapped around objects meaningful to the subject. The use of rocks and sticks honors the earth we come from and my family's longstanding history of protecting the environment. The use of books honors the history of storytelling and contemplation, a gift every human is given at birth. As I see it, each rock and stick is just a small piece of the larger pile that makes up our world. Each book represents all the stories in the world, told and untold. The process of wrapping these objects, then sewing the fabric permanently around them, acts as a meditation on memory, loss, and the cycle of life.
The notion of a photograph as a sculpture is a breaking away from tradition. The use of textiles and sewing nods to long standing domestic traditions and attempts to rework them in a modern voice. Additionally, raw and rudimentary sewing intends to conjure childhood, as that is when our most formative memories are made Every portrait has a story, both told and untold. Portraits, hide and reveal simultaneously. The objects I create act as totems to both the lost and the untold. The permanent sealing of the image around the object protects the subject by both telling its' stories and holding those untold, forever.
GHOST: a disembodied soul, a faint trace left behind.
WRAPPED GHOST BOOKS, a body of work that addresses the pain of loss.
GHOST, photography printed on textiles, dye, thread, books, encaustic.
WRAPPED GHOST BOOKS i examines loss as I age. Lost loved ones, lost dreams, lost memories. I use a combination textiles and photography to create unique sculptural works that attempt to help me feel the loss, but also celebrate its' beauty and its' passing. I print portraits on fabric that is wrapped and sewn around a book. Each book relates to the person or thing wrapped around it.
The stories and words inside the books are in-accessible, no longer able to be read. Much like all the stories inside.
Some stories go untold, others are held forever by the subject, all of them honored.
These pieces are unique photo book collage sculptures, never to be opened.
WRAPPED is a re-examination of the photographic portrait and how it can be altered with new meaning. I consider every photograph I take a portrait in some way; a tree, a flower, a painting, a face. I believe they all have purpose and a story inside. From a lifetime of shooting, images are printed on fabric and wrapped around objects meaningful to the subject. The use of rocks and sticks honors the earth we come from and my family's longstanding history of protecting the environment. The use of books honors the history of storytelling and contemplation, a gift every human is given at birth. As I see it, each rock and stick is just a small piece of the larger pile that makes up our world. Each book represents all the stories in the world, told and untold. The process of wrapping these objects, then sewing the fabric permanently around them, acts as a meditation on memory, loss, and the cycle of life.
The notion of a photograph as a sculpture is a breaking away from tradition. The use of textiles and sewing nods to long standing domestic traditions and attempts to rework them in a modern voice. Additionally, raw and rudimentary sewing intends to conjure childhood, as that is when our most formative memories are made Every portrait has a story, both told and untold. Portraits, hide and reveal simultaneously. The objects I create act as totems to both the lost and the untold. The permanent sealing of the image around the object protects the subject by both telling its' stories and holding those untold, forever.
GHOST: a disembodied soul, a faint trace left behind.
WRAPPED GHOST BOOKS, a body of work that addresses the pain of loss.
GHOST, photography printed on textiles, dye, thread, books, encaustic.
WRAPPED GHOST BOOKS i examines loss as I age. Lost loved ones, lost dreams, lost memories. I use a combination textiles and photography to create unique sculptural works that attempt to help me feel the loss, but also celebrate its' beauty and its' passing. I print portraits on fabric that is wrapped and sewn around a book. Each book relates to the person or thing wrapped around it.
The stories and words inside the books are in-accessible, no longer able to be read. Much like all the stories inside.
Some stories go untold, others are held forever by the subject, all of them honored.
These pieces are unique photo book collage sculptures, never to be opened.
Artist Bio
1988-Philip’s Academy, Andover, MA 1992-University of Michigan, BFA photo, Ann Arbor, Mi. 2004-San Francisco Art Institute, MFA, photo, SF, CA. 2005-2017 Adjunct Faculty, Photo Dept., San Francisco Art Institute 2009-2016 Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2019-Present Seager/Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA Liz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children where she maintains her own art practice. For over a decade, Liz was a member of the photo faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute where she specialized in digital imaging, compositing, mixed media, and the handmade books. In 2004, Liz completed her MFA at SFAI where she received the prestigious John Collier Award of Excellence for her thesis project. The project was based on the turbulent circumstances surrounding the birth of Liz’s first child, Emma. After completing her graduate studies, Liz dedicated her work fully to art practice and teaching. In 2017, Liz moved into a full time studio practice. Liz’s personal work focuses the notions of photography and its role in family life, memory, and our sense of self. Her most recent work explores mixed media; particularly the combination of textiles, photography, sculpture, and installations.