Five years ago photographer Bootsy Holler walked into her mother’s kitchen, opened the drawer and saw history – family history and objects that carried stories. The objects were absurd in some ways, poignant in others and Bootsy used these long held possessions to build a collection of her own curation, allowing her to turn back the clock and explore the meaning and transience of objects. The result is a new book, Treasures- objects I’ve known all my life, recently offered by BearHeart Publishing. She will be giving and artist’s talk and book signing at Chevalier’s Books in Los Angeles tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 29th at 7PM.
“My mother has always been very particular about how she likes her things – every item has its place, every task has its way of being done. Inevitably, these things and this way have become part of my life as well.” The collection is a portrait not only of her mother, but also of their relationship. “It’s not that these things are her ‘Treasures’ per se, it’s that because she thought these things were so important to take care of, and there were so many rules around how these things were to be handled, they felt as if they were more important than me.”
Created as a series of postcards, with a description of the item’s history on the back, the book elevates ordinary objects to show purpose, beauty, and whimsey. Treasures- objects I’ve known all my life is a humorous look at the objects people live with and tell our stories. Bootsy states, “I hope that by photographing them, I’m getting people to stop and look at the mundane. For me, it’s a meditation on the simple things we can overlook. In my own way I’m listening to what the objects have to say. The mindfulness comes with stopping. Listening. Transcending the objects we collect from “just stuff” to “treasures.”
Bootsy Holler (American, b. 1969) is a contemporary photographer strongly influenced by stories of family, history and place. Whether she’s reimagining the family photo album or bringing to life stories behind specific inanimate objects, Holler’s work is driven by the powerful connection between previously untold stories, and portrayed by previously unseen points of view. Much of Holler’s work is rooted in her growing up in a secretive government area near the Hanford Nuclear site, home of the plutonium bomb that was said to have ended WWII. She now resides in Los Angeles, traveling to find inspiration and connections with people, environments, objects and the unspoken secrets we all keep. She has exhibited and been published widely.
