Collection: Gillian Pokalo

Bio

Gillian Pokalo grew up in Conshohocken, exploring factory relics along the Schuylkill River. That interest in the ever-changing landscape has continued into her adult life. Pokalo's work is influenced by the sociological shift in the communities that were originally built around industry and the remnants of places that no longer exist. She photograph buildings that are in some way imperfect, or have a humble, almost forgotten quality. Through the repetition of the printed image, these structures create an implied narrative and a metaphor for the human condition.

Gillian Pokalo creates monoprints using a combination of painting, photography, and printmaking techniques. The process of making a print has always intrigued her: not only because of the immediacy of the medium, but also because it is that which remains when the plate or screen is removed. In this way, her creative process is a meditation on the transient nature of reality.

Statement

"My work is a combination of printmaking, photography, and painting. I use these media to create implied narrative landscapes. I take photographic elements and print-collage them together, attempting to authentically tell the stories and histories of abandoned architecture.  As nature actively reclaims them, these structures stand resiliently as testaments to their history and serve as reminders of the legacies of the people who've left them behind. My work reflects on the ways that man-made architecture is eclipsed by nature, and often nature plays a direct part in the creation of a work of art. I often harvest plants (weeds) from my garden and use them in my work. I'm perpetually enamored by their biodiversity. I work in layers: first, a background painting of a sky-scape I've witnessed, followed by layers of photo screen prints that are developed from my photographic imagery. When I photograph a building, I see it as a design element, a character in the narrative, and the silkscreen is a way of making a mark, much like a paintbrush. In this way, I piece together multiple images in such a way that they unveil the story of a place."​