These are the questions and stories that Brewster mined , along with the scenes she documented from her inaugural trip to Guyana , to inform this robust collection of 26 wood panels , Place in Reflection , 2016 . Here process and material are just as key as visual imagery . The artist employs a gel transfer technique to transplant black and white photographs , many of which are tattered , torn , stained , and scratched , onto small wooden panels . “ These transferred images are reflections that naturally , through the material , reveal imperfections ,” she notes .
In her intent to expose the flaws and make visible the defects in the images , Brewster alludes to a personal concept of homeland as a space of shifting memory , as suggested by the blurry treatment in some of the images . We are left to ponder : Do the memories of fruits in a market place stall , school girls dressed in their uniforms , or a breezy verandah belong to the artist ? Or , are they borrowed memories , reflecting a desire for a homeland that never was ?
Sandra Brewster Place in Reflection , 2016 ( Photo : Argenis Apolinario )
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