Kristin Anderson is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist based in New York City and exhibiting nationally and abroad.
Communication of concept is of primary importance, and media, space and presentation are selected exclusively per project. Her work creates an oscillation between the role of the image and the role of the viewer. The intention is to make the viewer aware of their thoughts on the subject, and of their reaction to the awareness, ideally putting them in a state of mind to contemplate both.
She explores the origins, interrelations, interpretations and influences of the concepts of identity, human nature, and society via the similarities and differences in personal experiences.
The current body of work
My identity is tied to my “angel,” my ingrained tendency to be a “good girl.” It is also my personal struggle as I experience the side effects and disappointments that go along with it. This is not to imply that I have any desire to bad. I do not relate to art about the fight with the devil. Therefore, I am exploring the origins, reinforcements, and vestiges of societal definitions of good, what is expected, how attainable it really is, and the drawbacks, frustrations, and ramifications on individuals and societies that try, in futility, to go beyond simply being “good enough” and to live up to superhuman, superstitious, ideals.
Since Christianity is the basis for our societal definitions of good and bad in America, I use religious iconography in my work. Concepts behind the work are often rooted in classic and contemporary feminism.
More about "The Annunciation (The Birds)"
More about "Our Script"
Previous works
The Pilgrimage video and audio installations recreate modern-day experiences of this ancient tradition by transporting us to holy sites in the era of tourism.
The series Midwestern
Girl considers how the physical environment and unchosen
extended family unwittingly feed into personal development. In The Block Where I Grew Up, each house is associated with
a character trait, and the impressions that remain after childhood
memories are filtered through distance and adulthood. Additionally,
it mocks the Midwestern social environment where the quiet, perfect
facades often don't reflect the reality within.
In the four-channel video Here We Go Again each playground
toy cycles from a very serene tempo to a lively one, but at a
different pace, symbolizing the patterns that are set in childhood
and remain throughout one's life.
The video installation July 4, 2004, Schoolcraft, MI becomes
a portrait of the people across the street, the town itself, and
America, and spurs thoughts and conversations surrounding the
universal nature of local traditions and rituals.
A satirical look at the
"day job," the Pitch videos isolate gestures
of people selling their products at trade fairs.
I believe that where one feels they do or do not belong is one
of the strongest indicators of self-identity. The feeling of belonging
is an internal compass, driven by the unconscious; a comfort/anxiety
scale related to a specific place and time. No matter where we
want to belong, this feeling always tells us our "true self."
Often, it is explained away by easily identifiable characteristics
of "sameness" and "otherness" that the "others"
may not even perceive. As I was exploring this, I was surprised
how little is written about it. The Belonging Series is my contribution.
Works in The Self-Identity Series take viewers through
three thought processes; what you think of other people, what
you think others think of you, and what you think of yourself.
The answers to each are reflections of one's self-image.
The DNA-based works raise questions about the relationship
of one's identity and one's biology.
Throughout The Anderson - Immke Project, found photographs
of my ancestors are used to explore the relationship and value
of them to my identity, and, on a broader scale, cultural identity.
My great-great-grandfather, H. W. Immke, was the town photographer
in Princeton, IL around 1900. Immke
is my only known ancestor that was a photographer. I spent much
of my youth in the darkroom. I was told that it must be the "Immke
in you." I contact printed
these images from his glass plate negatives, over a 4-day period
in a darkroom a few blocks from the site of his former studio.
These pieces are the record of my exploration for personal identification
with this man and our shared interest, and his/my family.