Visual artist and member of the Fresh Milk Books editorial team, Versia Harris has been invited to show her work in the IV Moscow Biennial for Young Art at The Museum of Moscow in Russia. The Biennial is titled A TIME FOR DREAMS, is curated by David Elliot and runs from 26 June to 10 August 2014
Still.
Versia’s Artist Statement
They say you can dream a thing more than once
Just because you wish for something, doesn’t make it true. Or does it?
I am captivated by the process of viewing fiction and projecting the fictional images into actuality so that it almost seems as if it becomes a part of one’s reality. As such, the narrative in my work generates a comparison between the character’s reality and fantasy, namely Walt Disney animations. It follows the experiences of the character as she continuously imitates or layers what she consumes from Walt Disney films unto her physical self and environment.
At the center of my investigation, stands the theme of self-image. The character is a manifestation of a person both beautiful and flawed aspiring to acquire the perceived superior physical and behavioral attributes of another. I consider the influences on behavior, especially influences through the media, which projects the perfect or acceptable image, and examine the challenges faced when what is desired conflicts with what is. I ultimately question whether one can subconsciously mimic fiction, until what one deems as reality is not as easily distinguishable from fantasy as one would think.
Bedroom scene.
This project revisits two animations ‘A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re awake’ and ‘They say you can dream a thing more than once’. I am re- presenting these animations concurrently, as a five video installation, to further engross the viewer with content and scale. The installation re-frames the narrative to draw new parallels and associations between the two animations.
Projection at Alice Yard.
About Versia Harris
Versia is a Barbadian artist living and working in Weston, St. James. She graduated from the Barbados Community College with a BFA in the Studio Art programme in 2012 and was awarded The Leslie’s Legacy Foundation Award, an annual prize given to the top graduate. In her work, Versia tackles perceptions of fantasy in contrast to the reality of her original character. She uses Adobe Photoshop to manipulate her pen drawings to create the animations.
She participated in her first local residency with Projects and Space in 2011. Within the past year she has completed four residencies, beginning with a local residency at Fresh Milk, followed by her first international residency at the Vermont Studio Center, and two regional residencies at the Instituto Buena Bista, Curacao and Alice Yard, Trinidad in late 2013.
Riding Swan.
Girl under Tree.