Alison Postma

Alison Postma is one of the current Resident Artists participating in the City of Mississauga’s Resident Artist Program at the Living Arts Centre.

Artist statement

I am currently exploring themes of dreams and the unconscious in relation to the physical body. My interest in this topic began by investigating the question, “what does your body feel like in a dream?” and then endeavouring to recreate that feeling in the viewer through art. While this has been my starting point, I have researched many avenues to get at the heart of this feeling, including looking at science fiction. Science fiction is full of metaphors and excellent at creating worlds that feel familiar but just slightly off, as a way to investigate issues in our real world.

Intertwined with these themes is the exploration of gender and the body. Science fiction is often trans-coded, and the trans* experience can have a lot in common with other feelings of alienation created in the body (like in a dream, viewing yourself from above, feeling out of control). While this is not the main focus of my work, it is heavily informing my areas of interest.

My practice is multi-disciplinary. I began my artistic career making a lot of photographic work and video work. When I moved into more sculptural work, this history of photo and video followed me—often making work that has a limited angle of view or a prescribed way of interacting with it. Most recently I have been learning to make wooden furniture. I enjoy the direct access to the viewer’s body that furniture provides, allowing me to impact the viewer physically as well as visually.