"Welcome Home"
Artist Statement
“War, I believe, dare not be commented on by those who have yet to experience it. Until you kill other human beings for survival, what could you possibly say about it? It assaults all your senses, the smell of death and the machines that cause it. Noises so loud you feel like an ant under a lawnmower. It is incomprehensible. There are grudges that I hold close to my heart, in some sense it means that I will always be at war...Although I came back, I’ve never escaped. And although I survived, how much of me died in the piece of shit swamp.” – “PTSD and Me”, Hamilton Nolan
Our nation’s troops come home to a place where they are left to fall through the cracks. We celebrate that our troops are finally home from the war, however that doesn’t mean the war didn’t follow. The baggage and weight that veterans carry back home can restrain them from being free from their past. For years they can try to push back the many visions of pain, suffering, and violence they witnessed and endured.
Utilizing plaster and different printmaking techniques “Welcome Home”embodies the emotions and situations that can develop as a result of a veteran’s past. The installation acts as a visual and experiential advocate for the voices of veterans and what they’ve gone through. This body of work magnifies personal stories and creates an environment in which the viewer can transport themselves, in hope of raising awareness upon which veterans face when returning home.
Show Trailer
To Hear Someone's Story and read about others, click the link to the Youtube Video of the show below
