Charles Clary
My work stems from the loss of both my mother and father due to smoking related cancers
in February of 2013. Their passing lead to a deep void in my life that led me to reinvestigate
the trauma and horrors of childhood. Through this introspection I realized how many
memories I could not recall and the empty abyss therein. Childhood trauma and abuse is an
experience many of us relate to in one way or another. My work seeks to investigate these
moments not as abhorrent events that are insurmountable, but as regrettable occurrences
that changed the trajectory of who I am. By mimicking and encapsulating that trauma within
distressed drywall panels, I fill that void with sculptures made from paper which is both
fragile and flexible. Through this work, I draw a connection to the human psyche and the
resilience we all have inside.