FRANCESCA MARTINO

body archives: final 2015 

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Interested in old photographs of my paternal grandparents, Francesca Navarra and Innocenzo Martino, and their relationship, I used serigraphy and basic printing of images on transparent sheets. I wanted to show the layering of the hearts and lungs to seem tangled and almost perceived as something else--something more floral or organic. This can be seen that my grandparent's relationship was that of surviving off one another both physically (breathing) and in the sense of having a mutual respect and admiration (love)--all symbolized in the serigraphy prints. The photographs raised above each print represent different parts of my grandparents' relationship, whether it be when they were not together, just married, or recently having had children. In each stage, they are represented in both the photo and the prints behind. These photos and prints take on an "otherness" for me in never knowing the people they once were during these times of their relationships. Still, in using my knowledge of the people they are today, I am able to piece together their "fantastic selves".