Katya Harris

Artist Statement

A large portion of my work stems from a concern about how mass media and advertising reinforce stereotypical ideas about identity through the visual representation of people and their bodies. At times, I critique the limiting ways people are portrayed in various forms of media. I am also in search of alternative visual displays of people and their bodies. As such, I create two-dimensional portraits to provide depictions of individuals that acknowledge the complexities of identity. I hope to bring viewers closer to the experiences of “other” bodies with which they may not readily relate.

I also work across disciplines. Some of my previous work includes installations that comment on identity politics and other social issues. Most recently, I have begun to explore my interest in the environment through photography. This work is varied, exploring human psychological and physical relationships to nature.