Talia Jones
BA: Studio Art
Artist Name:
Talia Jones
Work Title:
Anamnesis
Medium:
Acrylic paint on canvas
Artist Statement:
Anamnesis, derived from the Greek (ἀνάμνησις), refers to an active, embodied form of remembering, something deeper than passive recall. In Plato's philosophy, it describes the idea that learning is not the acquisition of new knowledge, but the rediscovery of truths the soul has always carried. Memory, in this sense, is not distant or abstract, but something that lives within us. This idea resonates with my own relationship to my family and heritage as someone with Greek, Italian, and Black lineage: I exist at the intersection of multiple histories, each with its own traditions and forms of inheritance. Some of these are explicitly passed down, whether that be through objects, stories, and practices while others exist more quietly and shape who I am in ways I am still in the process of uncovering. The act of remembering becomes layered: personal memory, intertwined with cultural memory and what I carry; I am aware that it is not solely my own, and what I have now to pass on to my younger siblings.
Artist Bio:
Talia Jones is an illustrator from St. Louis with a fascination for working with mixed media. Her practice explores the beauty of the natural world and the creatures within it, with much of her work being driven by a fascination with form and texture, as well as the quiet complexity of living thing. Fascinated by the animals and people in her life, her goal is to draw attention to details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Alongside this focus, Talia's work engages with ideas of memory and history, particularly how personal and cultural narratives come together with the natural world. She considers how identity is shaped not only by lineage, but by the environments and materials that surround us. She often incorporates tactile elements such as fiber, particularly through crochet, in a way that allows her work to exist between image and object.