ABOUT THE ARTIST

Master organizer, dog enthusiast, lover of all things old and broken, and photographer Kat Franczak was born and raised on the New Jersey shore- a place and sentiment that has influenced her work immensely. Feeling a lifelong duality of character, she features the stark difference in her work by incorporating both photographs from her ho-hum hometown in New Jersey, and her opposing residence in Manhattan. Her family and home environment has impacted her artistic style and approach, namely in her newest project featuring individual and family memories and the psychological associations with nostalgia and grief. She says, “As time goes on and things change, the one constant is my passion for making work. It’s the best medicine”.  

Info

New York/ New Jersey

kfranczak5@gmail.com

kfranczak@sva.edu

732-575-4350

ARTIST STATEMENT

For nearly three years now, I have been working on personally inspiring themes of family, memory, and psychology to subtly give way to various kinds of self portraits. This year, my work drastically shifted towards the goal of memorializing my Grandmother, as I was deeply affected by her passing in July of 2019. I began making self portraiture inspired by her, wearing her clothes, in her environment up until we had to sell the house, and using a lot of her possessions. This work is tentatively titled, “Being a Lady”, which is derived from my Grandmother’s constant scolding of me to cross my legs, fold my hands, and act more ladylike. I have experimented in making color darkroom prints of my self portraits, as well as alternative process prints, and a video to document the farewell to her home for so many years that held so many memories for my entire family. I will continue to fine-tune and build this body of work, to honor her memory and to help me work through my grief. This work for me speaks not only about grief and loss but also speaks to the layers of identity we all have- little pieces of those around us that live within us- and how that affects not only our personality but reveals a sort of “generational femininity”.

This work is not only about the grieving process, but also about what is means to be feminine, young, and living in New York City. A big part of my work has always been vulnerability and about self awareness, and I think that this work might embody that better than most of my previous work. I have never been a proponent of running away from my pain, or from myself; I prefer to confront things head-on, and “Being a Lady” is all about (and sometimes literally) looking at yourself in the mirror and not being afraid.