"I see my work as representation of the first generation to grow up entirely under the umbrella of a 'read-write' culture."
A video artist and photographer working with animation, Kara Crombie (b. 1975) refers to the current digital age, in which we interpret, reformulate, and share information as opposed to merely consuming it. She is interested in exploring the ways in which our environments inform our identities and vice versa. Her animated series, Aloof Hills, addresses contemporary American "taboos" such as interracial relationships and drug and alcohol use, and does so in a historic setting; Crombie's characters are Civil War-era paper dolls, and her landscapes include paintings and YouTube video clips. These seemingly absurd juxtapositions draw parallels between so-called outdated racial and gender politics and contemporary attitudes, and leave the interpretation open to the viewer's personal experiences, as well as his or her anxieties and opinions. Crombie has had solo exhibitions at Vox Populi Gallery and Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, and has participated in group exhibitions at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.
