Phylicia Ghee

INFO

"The Fire"

Displayed with words handwritten below the image that read "…this is all that was left." Written in pencil on oversized mat board. (see detail photos below)

Hand Torched Natural Ash Wood Frame.

18" X 25.5" Photograph, Archival Pigment on Photo Rag Paper

April 2011 – Finalized & Printed March 2022

Description:

This photograph is a part of a series that documents a fire I had in my apartment studio in the spring of 2011. My entire window caught fire and appeared like a ring of fire. Out of fear of losing all of my artwork, and my home, I put the fire out myself. Choking on smoke I ran back and forth refilling a small pot with water and dousing the flames. When all the smoke finally cleared, and after I had a moment to collect myself, I documented the many messages left behind by the fire. This included a heart shaped hole burned into a canvas picturing a self portrait painted in oils, and remnants of a poster depicting the cover of Deborah Willis' book "Posing Beauty", which hung next to my desk; the entire poster burned away except for the word 'Beauty' (pictured above).

The day of the fire is a story in itself. The fire was foreshadowed by a painting I was working on in the weeks prior, just adjacent to where the fire began.

These photographs are reminders of impermanence. The finite, fragility of the physical spaces we call home; and the ever-presence of beauty, even when all else burns away.

Exhibition View + Detail Photos: