We had the good fortune of connecting with Raquel Adler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raquel, why did you pursue a creative career?
Pursuing an artistic career was not a personal decision; following this path felt like my calling. My work revolves around my personal experiences, and the creative process is remarkably cathartic and leans into a shamanistic disposition as I process my emotions through my creative endeavors. Although challenging at moments, I realized I needed to follow this course because I could not picture myself feeling as fulfilled by any other career. Being an artist is not a job that feels like work in a typical way. Creating feels like my obligation; it is how I innately communicate my story. In an interview with Christian Boltanski, one of my favorite artists, he states that people often become artists because they have something to work through – something troubling them, and setting out to work is psychoanalysis – which leads to a cure. Sharing my story with the world and hearing how others have been able to resonate and mend their wounds is the greatest reward and driving force to continue my journey.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My work deals with interpersonal relationships and directly responds to the idea of memory, using personal experiences as an origin point. I am exploring the temporal space of memory and pejorative nostalgia through imagery in manipulated digital images, prints, and paintings. Often, the resulting work challenges the universal belief that a picture tells an accurate, unbiased story. I often appropriate old letters and photographs to draw upon my prosopography while utilizing historical photographs representing collective memory. Letters and photographs are concrete, archival evidence of something that once was. Photography is deemed a snapshot of absolute truth, but photography’s historical conception is based on staged, fleeting perspectives. Photographs, like memories, can be changed by the associations we assign to these captured moments. By nature, our evocations become distorted by our every recollection. The layering in my work paints a more accurate depiction of the experience of memory as being tinged with subjective reflections. Over time, memories can take on new meanings and become distorted by the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia and distance from the present moment. I am also interested in expressing this idea through materiality and taking something archival and documenting it through impermanent unconventional material, such as corn syrup, iron, and glitter. This utilization of unpreservable materials signifies the passage of time and how manufactured chemical degradation comes into play to indicate that things might not be as sugary or refined as they seem on the surface.

Following a traumatic injury and episode of cardiac arrest, I was diagnosed with long QT syndrome, a life-threatening heart condition, and a colloid cyst. This benign tumor impacts my ability to remember things. Being faced with mortality has caused me to dive deeper within myself about what is truly important in life and has driven me closer to my subject matter. Working with personal experiences counterbalances my simultaneously irrational yet remarkably rational thoughts and fears about dying. It is impossible to fight oblivion, just as keeping a photo of someone doesn’t necessarily mean you are preserving them. I am questioning the boundary between the realm of memory and the realm of experience, blending both in an expressive and cathartic revival of my past.

Though my work represents my individual remembrances, they also resonate with a larger audience serving as sentiments to unite us. My works speak to a collective pain and bring forth empathy by communicating my experience and highlighting the shared resilient experiences of being human, multifaceted, with many sensations and challenges during our ephemeral existences. I am coping with life in new ways, pushing my artistic practice to reflect a fresher outlook on life, and healing myself from my physical and psychological traumas.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I feel fortunate to live in New York, where the artistic and creative scene constantly changes. The prominent museums are a must – the MoMA (including MoMA PS1, which always has interesting exhibitions on rotation), the MET, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the New Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum are among some of my personal favorites. I have also seen some fantastic exhibitions at the American Folk Art Museum. I also adore gallery hopping – High Noon gallery and Hauser and Wirth have never disappointed me. Regarding food and drinks, I’ve taken everyone who has come to visit me to Prince St. Pizza, as pizza is an unequivocal New York staple and my favorite in the city (also conveniently close to the New Museum)! After a long day of gallery hopping in Chelsea, my favorite place to grab a drink is the Trailer Park Lounge – this spot is so extraordinary; from the drinks to the decor, a good time is guaranteed.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank everyone who has had a personal impact on my life, both positive and negative. Every person I encounter touches my soul to some degree, and I reflect on these experiences as the inspiration for my work. I do not create my work in a vacuum; the world around me profoundly influences me, and I cannot ignore the role that everyone who has touched my life plays. However, more specifically, I dedicate my most enormous thank you to my undergraduate school mentor, Carson Fox, for helping me recognize for myself that I have an essential narrative to convey to the world. I would also like to thank my fellow artist community for their continuous unconditional support, with an extended thank you to my dear friend and artistic collaborator Lauren Delsignore.

Website: www.raqueladler.com

Instagram: @raqueladler

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