"I watched a house burn down today" by Hannah Graber

Acrylic and graphite on cardboard

24'' by 27''

Hollowness hits you in unsuspecting ways. A week after I moved into a new apartment, I literally watched a house across the street burn down. It was the day after I was invited by an out-of-state gallery to display for a solo exhibition in May, and the night before I planned on quitting a job that I had fantasized about quitting for over a year. It feels strange to keep these things from someone I used to share a home with. My life has changed significantly since November.

“I watched a house burn down today” investigates my newfound relationship with being alone. The piece depicts a far-away woman in a white nightgown surrounded by an unceasing field of rolling hills. Her cold stance is paired with an overwhelming amount of negative space, embodying the unforgiving hollowness one feels when transitioning between who you once were and who you will be. The scene is illustrated in acrylic and graphite on cardboard, a signature material combination in my personal practice.

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