Victoria Fu
The Afterlife of Memory

Artist Becoming Become-Artist: Memory and the Artist Self-portrait

I recently had the opportunity to curate a solo exhibition of new work by multi-media artist Victoria Fu. After spending quite a bit of time thinking about the work and spending some time with the artist there are some very interesting and poignant aspects of the work which have presented themselves. Firstly, there are ideas about memory that started my path to thinking about how memory is presented through an object of nostalgia, the locket, and how a selection of moving images can function much in the same way that a photograph does. Concomitantly, these objects and images, because they are not our own memories, opens up a dialogue of memory, which prompts us to engage with the idea that memories need not be our own in order to function as a personal memory.

The oval structure of the suspended lockets is mirrored in the inlaid videos, the cropping and careful choices of shapes that reappear in the video and subtly reflect in Fu's drawings are a constant element, which not only create a very cohesive thread throughout the work but also reinforces the sense of nostalgia. This oval shape is quite comforting, like a womb, it embraces the artists imagery that she nurtures with the careful placement of selective imagery. Within these vignettes lies an unsettling sense of memory and displaced nostalgia. Modeled after 19th century mourning lockets, these vessels hold 16mm and Super 8 films which act as daguerreotypes or tintypes. While the figures within these vessels slowly move and suggest a change of time and hint at the familiarity of these relationships and places, an unsettling shift in memory keep us from completing these moving images as a true memory.

An interesting layer to this work is that these moving images and drawings create a form of the artist self-portrait. The artist self-portrait has been recognized for having the capacity to establish accurate recollection of an historical identity and provide guidance for preserving the past. These notions prompt further query as the role of memory presents itself within the discourse of the artist self-portrait. The Deleuzian conception of becoming explores the role of memory as a conduit for the exchange of differences that occur between the artist’s own continuous becoming, and as he or she become-artist simultaneously. Fu’s self-portraits and use of media alongside consideration of time and space help to buttress Gilles Deleuzes’ philosophy. Fu’s construction of fictional histories and false nostalgia presents a theme of displacement that works with Deleuze’s notion of memory, which supports both recollection and the present. In turn, this idea of memory prompts the viewer to think about the artist self-portrait as a unifying creative power that presents something new rather than an identifying imitation of historical identity.

Image credit: SCAD Photography