Artist: Kate Wadkins
Untitled, 2006
Serigraph
6 1/4” x 6 1/4”

  Both my art and activism have manifested as extensions of my self. Often the two are motivated and borne of the same subjects and experiences. Life experience is obviously not just personal, it extends into multitudes of other dimensions whether one chooses that or not. Luckily, this intersection between personal and external existence has furthered my comprehension and interest in my own experience, art, and activism.
        Namely, my experience as a survivor of sexual assault has extremely affected me in a plethora of different ways. My activism has turned largely to women's issues, and has created a community of women in my life that may or may not share similar experiences as mine, and consistently provide a system of support for myself and my endeavors. My art has upheld a similar function of support and remains a tool for me to re-examine the many forces that have contributed to my own particular existence, that of women close to me, and that of women everywhere.
        While my art is a continuous experiment in re-examination, it changes subject, theme, and tone. I attempt to represent these intricate relationships and extensions of life and communication through the use of layering and varying translucency in my pieces. I also employ the use of layering to imply a history of sorts, my own, or a historic continuum that I feel I am a part of. Often when I am working with a subject that I find to be a stable or positive and consistent force, I choose to represent it in a medium with a bolder, more solid and less ephemeral feel to it, silkscreen or contour line drawing for example.
        Due to the varying nature of my subjects and the often intangible ideas I strive to represent, these projects are executed with a wide variety of media including (but not limited to) silkscreen, monoprint, ink, paint, collage, and video. A wide variety of expression seems to be the only appropriate way to execute a process that largely involves re-examination.
        The extension of my energy and the energy of those who support and inspire me have been a large subject of great importance. Without some type of community, I would not be able to produce the work that I do, and would not have the inspiration to create. This support is an intersection of personal history, communication, and inspiration that has provided me with a safe space to be active and continue to express myself comfortably, and with encouragement.