DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/J69C-7A72

Defense Date

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Photography and Film

First Advisor

J. Molina-Garcia

Second Advisor

Mark Boulos

Third Advisor

Tobias Wofford

Abstract

The thesis exhibition, Nuff Love: From Me to You, explores the profound impact of diasporic memory on identity within the family structure, particularly for those who were born after immigration. This unpacking of memories is achieved through photographs, collages, and installations that reveal the distant and absent attributes that reside within the home. As a second-generation American of Afro-Jamaican descent, this thesis navigates how the dual identity becomes too complex and is never allowed to exist in a binary state. The constant state of in-betweenness between both cultures led to further questioning of selfhood beyond the Caribbean identity maintained by generations in the family space, which is not just transnational. The themes of alienation, assimilation, and authenticity are often overlooked but are important to address. By combining lens-based practices with textiles, the exhibition aims to provoke conversation about a shared interconnectedness among immigrant experiences that could potentially blur the lines of what constitutes a transnational identity, particularly for Black/Brown communities.

Nuff Love: From Me to You reveals we are all connected by complex common threads found within our family memories.

Rights

© Katherine S Thompson

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

5-11-2023

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