Monica Galvan Art

My love of art stems from my childlike nature of curiosity. I have always been vigilant within the many environments I have engaged with, noticing the residue of time around every corner  since I can remember. This interest of mine has led me to the world of art for its tactile qualities  and means for creation. I work in mix media, but gear my focus towards creating installations.  Installations are disruptions within an environment. My disruptions have ranged from abstract and vague (allowing for interpretation) to specific and bold (giving way to discussion.) At the root of my art practice is a desire to connect, by creating opportunities for connection and  mutual growth for my viewers I am promoting empathy which leads to a greater change in how we interact with one another through time and space.

 

In my most recent work Shared Memories, a compilation of my personal family photographs, I  take an autobiographical approach to creating connection amongst my viewers. Each  photograph depicting a time in my life or the lives of my family members, given context by the  memories they evoke. This installation, meant to depict time in an anti linear fashion, created  space for connection between its visitors and myself.  

I am constantly thinking of ways to create connections in this world of “us and them.” After 10  years of being an artist my work has come to not only represent my interactions in an abstract  light but depict the social injustices that leave their mark within an environment. As a teaching  artist I have found collaboration to be a great way of creating connection. Taking inspiration form my experience as an teaching artist I have started to incorporate collaboration with the  public into my artwork, going in the direction of social practice.