Aryn Chapman

Born into a family of designers in New York City's theater community, Aryn Chapman's art balances the importance of cultural roots and the unspoken secrets papering the cracks of experience. Accordingly, her artistic practice incorporates markers of family history into seductive, mysterious dreamscapes. Her richly colorful and layered collages on canvases use multiple media and application methods. Wallpaper lurks beneath newsprint partially obscured by photographs, coins, stamps and illustrations. Moody pastes and paints cover all these, creating nostalgic hues that allow certain elements to leap forth while others reveal themselves gradually.

The impression Chapman creates within each canvas is of history determined equally by direct experiences and by the murky half-truths of fantasies and repressed information. Her technique of web-like layering invites connections between these identity factors. Some works seem to address individuals' personal trajectories, while others depict broader cultural experiences. Aryn Chapman doesn't force these narratives on viewers, though. Connections between public and private histories – suggested by framing and positioning within the canvas – emerge progressively.