Purging, C-print, 60x48", Sarah Hobbs, 2009
Denial, C-print, 48x60", Sarah Hobbs, 2009
Escapism, C-print, 48x60", Sarah Hobbs, 2009
Sarah Hobbs is a photographer/installation artist who attended the University of Georgia where she received her BA in art history and MFA in photography. Her first solo exhibition titled Emotional Management is on view at Solomon Projects in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hobbs’ work in her sixth and most recent series Small Problems in Living further investigates phobias and obsessive compulsive behaviors. “Her wit and sensitivity towards this touchy subject matter creates a familiarity and accessibility which allows the viewer to become engaged with the work” (Solomon Projects). Hobbs has been able to translate intangible, mental conditions into physical, isolated incidences that echo the complex, cycling nature of the human condition.
Hobbs exhibits her work in large format, printing her photographs fairly close to life-size which allow the viewer to assume the role of the photographer. Printing at this size is an important part of integrating the audience into the physical and psychological space of each image. “What sets Hobbs apart from other photographers working in a similar vein is that she both constructs an illusion and at the same time exposes its materiality to the viewer” (Solomon Projects).
I am most interested in her photograph Purging, where she has taken pages from a diary and erased its contents and hung them systematically on her wall. What appear to only be blank pages are revealed by the eraser shavings that litter the carpet. There are slight traces of the words that used to fill these pages, whose original purpose was to alleviate anxiety of the every-day. It seems this process became frustrating and in an attempt to forget, the writer erases the physical trace of these memories and proudly hangs them on the wall. Ironically, this effort to forget is a reminder of itself and the memories erased. And perhaps these hints of words and sentences suggest that the subconscious never truly forgets.
Much like my own work, the tasks completed in Hobbs’ images may seem unnecessary to the viewer, yet completing these tasks is a significant component to the person who performed them. While my work was only in reference to memory, the task of trying to successfully recreate memory and interrupt it was a critical step in overcoming my fears and anxieties over what the trauma of the divorce has made of me. I can connect with Hobbs' work because earlier last semester I originally spoke of the moths metaphorically representing the mental and emotional behaviors I have developed as a result of the divorce.
Viewing Sarah Hobbs’ photographs has helped me begin to gauge- and understand the function of- escapism: exactly what I am trying to communicate in this semesters work. I view Sarah Hobbs work as a consolation that comforts the viewer by creating a tangible experience from mental disorders that the viewer can identify as their own. Her work reassures me that I am not alone.
Solomon Projects Website
Solomon Projects Artist Page: Sarah Hobbs
Solomon Projects: About the Artist
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