Light Leaked: Joli Livaudais

Anima (detail), eighteen 16" x 16" panels, total size of 96" x 48"

Aluminum, resin, and inkjet photographic print on Kozo paper

Joli Livaudais received her BA and MS in Experimental Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington before establishing herself as a freelance commercial photographer in Dallas, Texas. Livaudais received her MFA from Louisiana Tech University in 2013, and is currently an Assistant Professor at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Her fine art incorporates her interest in psychology and explores the relationships between people and the constructs we use to interpret the world around us, and has been exhibited nationwide.

Animus (detail), eighteen 16" x 16" panels, total size of 96" x 48"

Aluminum, resin, and inkjet photographic print on Kozo paper

Artist Statement: Dreams and Replies

My artwork is an expression of my search for insight. The photographic compositions are inspired by my unconscious mind, through journaled dreams and free writing. They are my meditations on a universe and existence that is exquisitely beautiful, perfectly synchronized, and uncompromisingly merciless. I find that my carefully weighed conclusions about the human condition challenge me more than they provide any meaningful sense of safety, comfort, or promise of a happy ending. To exist is to struggle. In my artwork, this translates as an attention to process and labor-intensive practice. The accumulation of layers, fragmentation, deterioration, and replication are natural processes that are integral to the work and the meditation of creating it. Although the nature of the work lends it a timeless quality, I choose to use contemporary and experimentally combined materials including resin, photographic ink jet prints, aluminum foil and electrical circuits. The concepts I am exploring are primal, but my interpretation and understanding of them is anchored in today.