Emma McGettigan

This project explores the fragile and intimate nature of memory, using childhood camcorder footage as the foundation for a series of oil paintings. The imagery, sourced from aging tapes, captures moments that are easily distorted or lost over time—much like memory itself. I was drawn to the vulnerability of these recordings: how static, glitches, and visual noise reflect the imperfect and shifting process of recollection.

Working in oil allowed me to dwell on the slowness and emotional depth of remembering, with each painting acting as a quiet meditation on what remains and what fades. Through a subdued, nostalgic palette, I evoke the emotional weight of these fleeting moments, aiming to create a sense of distance and longing.

Influenced by artists like Gerhard Richter, my work engages with the tension between presence and absence, clarity and blur, inviting viewers to reflect on their own memories and the materials through which they are preserved, distorted, or quietly forgotten.