The Intangible Concept of Lacking
Their work focuses on the mortality of humankind and their near-death experience. This work explores subjects related to their brain surgery including aphantasia and Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM).
Artist Bio
Kaz Brittenburg is a Pennsylvania-born interdisciplinary artist. They received their A.A. in Fine arts and their A.A.S. in Computer Generated Animation and Digital Arts from Lehigh Carbon Community College and is currently a senior at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania to earn their B.F.A in Studio Art and Animated Arts with a minor in Art History. They work as a sculpture studio tech and gallery assistant in the Marlin and Regina Miller Gallery at Kutztown University. Their work focuses on the mortality of humankind and their near-death experience. This work explores subjects related to their brain surgery including aphantasia and Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM).
Artist Statement
It is difficult to consider one’s existence through memory, or lack thereof, without considering one’s non-existence. As such, mortality is a predominant topic throughout my work. The current works begin to explore the overwhelming journey of rediscovering who I am after having a near-death experience of emergency brain surgery a few years back. I quickly realized that my life experience was quite different with no life memories (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory or SDAM), no gender (agender), and no “imagination” (aphantasia).
Due to aphantasia, or the lack of mentally seeing visuals in my mind, sketches, small models, references, and experimentation are vital to my studio practice. My current work explores the more intimate attributes of aphantasia and SDAM, such as disassociation, and a weak memory. The integration of materials such as found objects, steel, paint, and the use of text in the work emphasizes the effort to represent the intangible concept of lacking experienced daily. Through the sculptural medium I am deciphering who and how I am.
