Katja Ewart's screen print installation, Happiness Only Real When Shared, examines how the human spirit and memory are influenced by landscape and environment. The work intends to act as a gesture of gratitude towards the environments and individuals who have shaped her memories. The imagery in the work is a collection of personal memories that Ewart has created in British Columbia since moving away from Calgary, her hometown. She aims to highlight the small details found in nature that often go unnoticed due to the fast pace of individuals' daily lives. Her work creates an environment that encourages observation through image distortion and repetition of imagery. By printing on a variety of delicate and translucent materials, the imagery begins to overlap and distort the works nearby. This interconnectedness of the imagery reflects memories in the human mind; one memory affects how others are interpreted.
Despite her love for digital processes, like filmmaking and photography, Ewarts's recent work has been created with the intention of moving away from digital processes. It relies on both digital and analog mediums. Katja enjoys working with the physical process of screen-printing, as it allows her to turn away from technology and focus on the materiality of her work. Through the process of creation, she has explored the relationship between tangible objects and memories, and the installation reflects how documentation of events does not always reflect reality.
Katja Ewart's creation begins with a film camera and 35-millimetre negatives, which she then processes and scans. With these high-resolution scans of the film made, the images are then printed onto a film that can be transferred onto a silkscreen. Once the images are transferred onto the screen, the physical screen printing can begin. Throughout this process, there are infinite moments for errors to occur, which oftentimes they do. These mistakes often serendipitously change the work.
Happiness Only Real When Shared will be on view in the Members’ Gallery from November 8 - 30 2024.
Learn more about Katja Ewart’s work on her website.