Artist Bio
b. 1990, Paris, France
Twiggy Boyer, b.1990, is best known for her nostalgic mixed media collages often created using vintage found photographs. Boyer’s mixed media works explore themes of nostalgia, memories and connections and incorporate collage elements, drawing, embroidery and painting. Born and raised in Paris, France, Twiggy studied painting and curatorial studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD and graduated with a BFA in Painting and a concentration in Curatorial Studies in 2012. Her most recent solo exhibition entitled “Common Thread: Motherly Tenderness was on view at 813 Micro Gallery in Ann Arbor, MI in 2023. Boyer has been a part of a number of group exhibitions most notably at the Coral Springs Museum of Art in Coral Springs, FL and at Yale University in New haven, CT, and has permanent works collected in the Doug & Laurie Kanyer Art Collection in Yakima, WA. Boyer’s work is featured as the cover art for Margaret Atwood’s book “Moral Disorder and Other Stories”, Hungarian edition, as well as on the cover of “Entwined: Creativity & Motherhood an Anthology” by Sarah D. Shotts. Other noteworthy projects include creating the EP cover art and music video for “Quicksand” by The Secret Sisters and “Hallelujah Hell Yeah” by String Machine. Over the last decade, Twiggy Boyer has worked as a teaching artist in the museum education setting, as a full time elementary art teacher and in the form of teaching adult collage workshops. In February of 2020, Twiggy co-founded Photo Trouvée Magazine-- an art publication and artist platform that showcases contemporary artists who use vintage photographs as a medium in their works. She currently calls South Florida home where she works, resides and homeschools her daughter.
Artist Statement
My work delves into themes of memory, connections, and nostalgia. Using carefully curated found photographs as collage elements, I investigate how my personal recollections resonate with those of others. I work with forgotten photographs often gathered from dusty thrift shops that I feel inexplicably connected to. In my mixed media collages, I seek to draw parallels between the captured moments in these images and my own memories—real or imagined—creating a tapestry of intertwined experiences over time.
Patterns, layers, and repeated imagery in my artworks serve as visual metaphors to illustrate memories over time—adding and removing, sometimes blurred or influenced, fragments of images are cut, torn and collaged onto paper to create a composition intuitively.
Floral elements frequently find their way into in my work, symbolizing the fragility and ephemeral qualities of memories. Drawing inspiration from the principles of Victorian Floriography where flowers convey intricate emotions and meanings, I utilize these symbols to add adornment and subtle symbolism to my collages.
Ultimately, I seek to evoke a nostalgic and emotional response in viewers, inviting them to connect with their own memories. By borrowing aspects from the memories captured in found photographs, I reinterpret and weave them into my artistic narrative, fostering a shared experience that bridges personal recollections with collective emotions.