Amy Pleasant
June 2 – July 2, 2016
First Thursday: June 2, 5-8p
Artist Reception & Talk: Saturday, June 4, 6-8p, talk at 7p

“Hiding in Plain Sight”, 2016, mixed media

Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul and shows to people these secrets which are common to all. -Leo Tolstoy

A young girl making her way home and a carefree bike ride near the woods becomes an irreparable encounter with a group of teenage boys. In that moment her life shifts for years to come. Amy Pleasant, the artist, creates a body of work rooted in personal experience as a survivor of childhood sexual assault. The result is an exploration of trauma, healing and the nature of memory; the adult looking back as an observer applying visual language to a life changing event in the woods under the oldest of oak trees.

In the moment, the mind’s protective detachment created distracting innocuous snapshots which morphed into iconic visual images of that day’s horrible events. The physical details of the terror and trauma yolked with the victim’s perspective, laying in the dirt under that tree. These images became visual metaphors and marked the day the world became a dangerous place and the psychological carnage left in its wake to the long and complex journey all survivors must take t reclaim their dignity and power.

Installation artwork, paintings and media reflect a personal exploration of the memory of trauma  and the imagery which lingered through the years. The exhibition creates a microcosmic visit to  that day in 1965 embedded with the suggestion of the passing of time, restoration and integration. The closure of a decades long journey giving a voice to the young girl without a voice.

For more information see www.amypleasantseattle.com