Somethings
Danielle Robison
Area: Painting
Danielle Robison
Thesis Statement
People place personal and sentimental value on the objects we inherit within our families and the objects that we collect throughout our own lives. In my paintings, I present display cases, cluttered shops, and shelves packed with knick-knacks and keepsakes. I’m interested in the ways that we display these objects - they may be of high monetary worth, or they may represent significant experiences such as war, marriage, the beginning of a new life, the loss of a loved one, or souvenirs from family vacations - breakable, cheap things that have no intrinsic value but carry an immense amount of sentimentality. Things that to most are meaningless but can evoke distant memories and deep feelings to those who recognize its familiarity.
I make these objects my own, even if it is unclear as to why they are important to me. By painting these arrangements in a slow, methodical manner, I invite the viewer to reflect on each item included. My work is a reflection on the act of collecting and the ritual of arranging. By recognizing that there is a space reserved for something, and by recreating those somethings, I recognize the efforts of the collector and pay tribute to the experiences held within each object, both concrete and imagined. These somethings represent stories, friends, families, and adventures. Even after an object’s significance has faded, the care from the collector reminds us that even the most seemingly pointless objects have the power to become evidence of an experience, a representation of a person, a connection with a distant place, imagery of a home, a relic of history.