Andrew Baris received his BFA in Photography, with a minor in Printmaking from Hartford Art School, University of Hartford. He is a Connecticut-based artist living and working in Hartford, CT. Andrew's art work relies heavily on analog photography as he examines relationships both personal and unacquainted. With a background in printmaking, books and zines are a regular creative outlet for Andrew as well, exploring how images can relate to each other and how they are perceived depending on how they are depicted in a series. Recently, Andrew has been interested in photographs as objects and exploring how physical space can help translate his ideas relating to connection and disconnection.

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DAD (Recent work)

This body of work is an on going exploration of my relationship with my father. My father is Bi-polar and has been in and out of my life since I was a teenager. Thinking about idolization of the Dad and what a father is in the 21st century I try to make sense of how a lack of time spent together, as well as his struggle with mental health have affected our connection. I am photographically exploring the physical, emotional, and time based space that is prevalent in the relationship with my father.

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It's All Down Cellar: In this project I photographically explore issues of loss, change, youth, and old age. My working process is slow, as I use a 4x5 inch view camera which allows a breadth of conversation, thoughts, and feelings to evolve naturally between my subject and myself. Particularly I am looking at how illness can devolve the family dynamic. My grandmother was the matriarch of our family. As a child I witnessed her hosting family gatherings, taking care of all her children's children (including myself at one time), and being a loving wife. In 2014 she was diagnosed with dementia, and with that came a loss of personal identity. The stillness of space around my grandfather became a way to investigate the void left by his wife’s absence. The documentation of my family became even more complex after I was diagnosed with diabetes. My apprehension of change and aging intensified and the subject of loss became important for me to explore deeper. Photographing the landscape became a form of catharsis for me, and within the context of the series the images formed a visual representation of change. I began to make more self-portraits both inside and out, and the changing seasons seemed to correlate with my developing sensibility. Using photography I have established a basis for making art through personal incident. The relationships depicted in the imagery offer a glimpse into the complex nature of family and it's shifting dynamics. While this family is mine, the transference of thought and emotion is universal.

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