Installation, Stone Lithography. 2019.
Utilizing stone lithography as a method of exploration and installation as a mode of display, Hollander investigates the quiet realities of dysfunctional families using portraiture of their family. Dysfunction does not appear on the surface of individuals. Instead, it manifests itself in distance and silence between parties; its legacy remains hidden in untold hardships. Stone lithography is notoriously volatile and difficult to master as the process requires a great deal of patience and an excessive amount of labour to execute successfully. Additionally, despite the stone’s hefty form, often rocks can easily chip, crack, or break and therefore at all times must be treated with care. Often family bonds are thought of as absolute, settled, and even set in stone. However, as many can attest, family relationships require great care to maintain and are never without their scars.
(wood, dye, silicone; installation size of 6 3/4' x 6 3/4' x 8 1/4')
“When my mother was 18, my grandfather took the car and left the family. He didn’t return to their lives for about 20 years. My grandmother, having moved from Hong Kong to Canada to be with my grandfather, experienced culture and class shock. I learned early on that she wasn’t the kindest figure to my mother and her siblings. Growing up, visiting my extended family was stressful from the car ride to the event; going to Toronto made me feel nauseous because of the associations to my family. It was only recently with the passing of my grandmother in 2017 that I began to comprehend the neverending state of tension in my maternal family.”
- Kaitlyn Hollander
