EMILY LANCTOT
Wishlists
Themes of identity, the archive, the collection, and memory are central to my work. For this series of work I collected the public Amazon Wish Lists of friends, family, and colleagues. Each list, transcribed in paint, reveals what a subject wishes to possess, what they desire to learn, and (perhaps) who they hope become. The lists are anchored in the present, but look toward a future moment.
The variations of each portrait are as individual as the people themselves. Some of the lists contained only one item, and others contained dozens of items. Some lists featured great organizational structure. One subject had several lists organized under the labels, Wedding Wish List and Divorce Wish List. The Wedding Wish List was completely empty, and the Divorce Wish List was chock full of electronics items and stereo equipment.
This project is ongoing.