Holly Hunt
All of my art is based in the world of the abandoned.
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Since a life-altering surgery in 2015, I have been living with an unfortunate side
effect of memory loss. Although minor, it does affect my day to day life. Exploring
abandoned places and having the opportunity to walk through the remnants of
another person’s life triggers memories within me that I have forgotten about in my
own life. Once that memory floods my thoughts, I recreate my past with my camera,
sometimes placing myself within frame.
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In the colors of the peeling wallpaper, I recall my childhood home. In the details of
the rotting wood, I’m brought back to memories of my grandmother. A wraparound
porch reminds me of my favorite television show as a kid. In the sun streaming
through the window of a farmhouse onto a bed covered in a quilt, I’m reminded of
my mother’s cancer diagnosis. The quiet in the rooms that once housed lavish
parties that are now crumbling, or in the peace in the spaces where patients and
doctors once walked that are now merely dust, offers me a world at my fingertips
where I can find myself, and fully create the art I was always meant to create. It is in
the darkness and decay of these places that I’m able to let go of my fears and face my
inner demons. It is where I feel the most alive. Each and every image I capture tells
a piece of my story.
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I’ve been blessed to have exhibited my art in museums, vineyards, libraries, galleries,
and restaurants all over the New York metropolitan area. Over the pandemic, I
wrote and published my book, Exploring Home- an autobiographical photo book
containing one hundred images of my work paired with one hundred stories about
my life.