Talena Sanders

Talena Sanders

talena.sanders@duke.edu

artist statement:
I am an interdisciplinary artist exploring the ways that people define individual and collective identities in film, video, expanded cinema, photography, performance, and installation. My work investigates visual manifestations of desired and ideal identities. My work has included candid examinations of individuals’ processes of self-discovery through their relationships with their professions, domestic spaces, regional culture, and their choices in appearance and dress. A proud Kentuckian, I received a BFA in Art Studio with a focus in New Media from the University of Kentucky. My work has been exhibited and collected internationally including the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, Lódź Culture House's Galeria Imaginarium in Lódź, Poland, Chelsea Museum of Art in New York, NY, Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in Newark, NJ, Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, WV, Above Second gallery in Hong Kong, International Forum Art Tech Media in Cordoba, Spain, International Streaming Festival in The Hague, The Netherlands, Contemporary Art Center in Naples, Italy, Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

what do you love about Duke’s MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts?
When looking at MFA programs, there never seemed to be a program that was flexible or interested enough in interdisciplinary practices. In the MFA EDA, the faculty, staff, and students have developed an exciting culture of experimentation and working across media. Duke's MFA faculty encourage ambitious projects, and are approachable and accessible for guidance and support throughout your process. I also appreciate the focus on and respect for analog media. This first year of the program has been incredibly generative for me, and I have completely reframed my approach to my creative practice as a result.

anticipated graduation date: Spring 2013

Constructing Zion is an ongoing documentary work examining the visual evidence of fundamentalist Mormon schism sect doctrine in land use and the home in the communities of Hildale, UT/Colorado City, AZ (the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sect) and Centennial Park, AZ (The Work of Jesus Christ sect).