Chad Moore has spent the last decade documenting the everyday lives of his friends and there was no expectation of anything other than one of Ryan McGinley’s pupils. And that’s how Memoria was born, a project that, contrary to what you might think, rejects the idea of encouraging the viewer to remember. The artist justifies his choice in this way:
“I think some people may think it’s about nostalgia, but really it’s the opposite. It’s kind of about looking forward”.
Human beings are obsessed with wanting to remember, but sometimes you just have to move on. Nostalgia is poetic, it is romantic, but it is not healthy for the human being, who becomes unable to overcome what the memory goes to retrieve. Chad’s Memoria make us “feel” the stories he talks about, which reach the viewer’s heart and convey a sense of familiarity, like a hug.
Visit the artist’s website if you want to learn more about other works.
