Annabelle Port
Perception is a funny thing. I am fascinated by our shapeshifting world which flows into and out of my awareness at an alarming pace. With my camera, I can slow things down a bit in order to examine things more closely. I become an explorer, and the things I come across are constantly surprising me. While looking closely, I can be moved by things that sometimes go unnoticed.
Influences along the way have come from seemingly dissimilar sources. The L.A. and San Francisco punk scenes of the early '80s taught me about imperfection and pushing boundaries. UCLA in the mid '80s exploded my preconceived notions about art. I was lucky enough to study under artists including Paul McCarthy, Robert Heinecken, Alexis Smith and Charles Ray. From them I learned that expression can come in any form and they encouraged the development of the message rather than the production of an object. More recently my creativity has been affected by a deepening interest in Buddhism, specifically the concepts of mindfulness, impermanence and delusion.
