Artist Bio:
Kayla Andries is a Brooklyn-born artist, but considers herself a native of Orlando, Florida. From a young age, she has had a love for photography and drawing both well-known and original characters. As she grew older, she began to take a liking to art and music reminiscent of her childhood in the early 2000’s and remnants of the 80s and 90’s. Today, her strong feelings of nostalgia are the main source of expression in her artwork. Her affinity for visual art techniques such as digital image editing and logo design encouraged her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Emerging Media: Graphic Design at the University of Central Florida.
Artist Statement:
This past year, I have done plenty of self reflection. I frequently found myself ruminating on subjects like my looming graduation, how increasingly quickly my birthday seems to arrive, and even how long I have left. Although the uncertainty of my future makes me anxious, I remind myself to be present and focus on the here and now. After taking up film photography a year ago, I found myself fixating on the present more than ever. Each roll of film has 36 exposures, 36 opportunities to capture the best 36 moments of my life during that roll. This caused me to do a complete 180 in my approach to photography. When shooting digital I'm one to snap endlessly until I captured the perfect frame, and even then I would edit these captures in post to make them true to my personal vision. With film, however, I shot with intention. I would find myself standing in one spot for minutes trying to get the perfect image. And afterwards, I would leave them untouched. Through shooting in film, I was able to regard nearly every moment with the utmost importance, while focusing on representation and appreciating my reality.
