Christa Gearhart Denney
Artist Statement
I work primarily with dolls, toys and other childhood mementos. Dolls and toys are loaded objects, often creepy, open to a variety of interpretations. I photograph them as if they were real in a variety of styles. I never played with dolls as a child but I have a daughter who is a doll kid. We have a vast collection of dolls and toys from many eras. I’m fascinated with how she plays with these objects and how they can be her baby or her friend one minute or be used as a hammer to bang a peg into a hole the next.
I often think of photography in similar ways. Just like dolls and toys, Photos are still representations. They are no longer animated and interactive. They are passive and frozen in time, as if an object.
By replacing the "real" in the photograph with an inanimate yet representational and sentimental object, viewers are welcomed to take a more objective look at the way we record our memories and the role photography plays in our lives.
I also shoot live music whenever I can.