Bootsy Holler
September 5 – December 6, 2019
Statement
The photographs in Treasures are of simple objects from my mother’s home that I have known all of my life. 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 truth is, I am uncomfortable talking about my work as it reveals parts of myself that would be easier left unexamined. In photographing my mother’s personal items, I thought I was merely documenting objects. Instead, it has turned out to be a portrait not only of my mom, but also of me and of our 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.So while this collection of photographs started out as an act of curiosity, it now feels like one of acceptance. I realize now that this work is not about me being less important than these items, but more about my fears—fears of not only becoming my mother, but also of affecting my son through the lessons I have learned from her. These objects that we live with, that we build our lives around, that we give breath to, eventually become part of our lives—and tell our stories. -BH
Bio
Bootsy Holler (American, b. 1969) is a fine art photographer. Her work examines the nature of identity, the reimagined family album and the deep secrets we all keep.
Bootsy is an intuitive artist who has been a working photographer for over 25 years in music, editorial, advertising and art. Best known for her remarkably sensitive style of portraiture, she has been noticed and awarded by the Society of Photographic Journalism (SPJ) and Association of Alternative News-media (AAN).
She received her BA with a concentration on Textiles from Western Washington University, Bellingham. After a career as a freelance Director, Producer and Photographer she relocated to Los Angeles to focus on fine art.
Bootsy has exhibited in 17 solo shows and over 30 group exhibitions at institutions such as The Center for Fine Art Photography, Ogden Museum, Benham Gallery, The New Space Photo Center, Photo Center Northwest, and Fotofever, Paris. Her fine art has been featured in publications including PDN, NPR, Lenscratch, Rangefinder, Fraction Magazine as well as Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, Santa Barbara News-Press, and Real Simple Magazine.
Her Visitor series was selected for Critical Mass Top 50 in 2011. She has been commissioned by commercial companies to design and produce art for their creative advertising spaces and has work in the Grammy Museum permanent collection, as well as in private collections around the United States and Europe. In 2019 she published her second monograph TREASURES objects I’ve known all my life.
