Aimee Joyaux
Truth to Power

January 26 - February 17, 2024

Printmaking

Artist Statement:
My work reflects my temperament and is at times reactive. My triggers have been tripping a lot in the last ten years, the agitation of the body politic is palpable. I am an activist so have been drawn into the current of echo chambers and bull horns. Poster making seems like the best choice for me to rage against the machine. Used since the earliest days of printed matter to rally the troops, posters are simple, graphic, cheap to produce, and easy to share.

The graphic qualities and aesthetic range of printmaking lend this work a visual cohesion within the vernacular of traditional poster design. Freedom of the press has been a benchmark of our democracy. This work challenges my artistic practice to combine word and image or use word as image to reflect on the tug-of-war between truth and power.

— Aimee Joyaux

Biography:
I came to art accidentally through a painting class the last semester of my senior year in high school. I fell in love with it immediately. Painting made more sense to me than chemistry, expository writing, the quadratic equation, or any of the teen drama I was struggling with. I had a knack for handling the materials. I pursued drawing and painting as an undergraduate and chose photography for my MFA because J.O.B.

I began my love affair with letterpress in grad school when I discovered a small proof press and a few drawers of type in the graphics department at the University of Oregon. I was introduced to printmaking at Ball State University in Indiana, where I was on the art faculty for eight years. These processes really came to life for me when I moved to Virginia and got involved with VisArts and Studio Two Three. I was influenced by the range of expression I saw in these community spaces and was inspired to play with the elasticity of the medium which can really be the very best way to work. I rarely print in editions, choosing instead to explore the unique ways I can use variation to learn from my work.

Website: aimeejoyaux.com
Instagram: @aimeejoyaux