Triesch Voelker

Desire is both the elixir and the snake oil of appetite. It is transformative in how I see myself and what motivates my impulses. My work is about trying to see past the smoke and mirrors of desire and what is true. What is my movement through life really motivated by and what are the detours along the way. I have followed a route that is open to all possibilities and have let myself be led, as well as having chosen purposely. All have taken me to where I am now. There is something freeing about letting go. Letting what might happen take over. The danger is in forgetting what has happened, for I am a collective. I am not "The Stranger", but I can allow myself to be drawn into the trap of the moment. What I am feeling right now can have so much more relevance than the subtle fragrance of past memories or even the promise of future meals to come, yet all of it is my substance.

In this age of social networking, food grown in vending machines, and internet relationships, I am drawn to the things that anchor me. My father/son relationship that is not only my guide in the present, but also my connection to all that has come before me and all that will be in my future. It is my reference.

Next is my need to move forward. Desire comes from the unknown of the moment. Longing is the need to see around the corner and movement creates the ability to satisfy or disdain. The risk of human interaction is what makes my peer group feed me. There is no substitute for the connectedness that comes from the communion of personalities and diversity who enjoy and support each other.

Lastly, I am driven by the hope of speaking deeply through the act of making with my hands. I have had no relationship, except family, that has lasted as long or has fed me so fully. Making has the threat of desire through narcissism. For me, literalism is the vehicle for that self-involvement that I hope to avoid. I could dissect my symbolism and meaning, but I want the work to have universality to it and not just be my diary. This may come from my iconic southern history where daily life takes on metaphor, but when we mirror this being in the moment, with desire, the depth of content speaks as a whole. My human experience is both felt and shared.

-- Triesch Voelker