Serena with her dog Mici, 2022.

Bio

Serena Beggs is a Los Angeles native currently living in Chicago. She grew up amongst other makers who are foundational members in the Los Angeles art scene. She has an associates degree in Media Arts from Marymount California University as well as a BFA from ArtCenter College of Design. After graduating from ArtCenter she worked in commercial photography as a digital tech and photography assistant for 5 years. During this time she continued to develop her fine art practice and made the decision to pursue a masters at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and focus on her own projects. 

Artist Statement

I open my mouth and find ways to connect to others around me through the expanded fields of photography, collaboration, and performance. I create site specific installations that blend several mediums to represent experiences of the body. By representing trauma through objects and immersive experiences, I get the opportunity to communicate this large theme that I have found photographs alone cannot capture. My work is often born out of conversations or interactions with those close to me.

In my piece (My Rape Education) I discuss consent education with my mother through the lens of a popular movie while being projected onto the bedding I was assaulted on at 20 years old. In the same vein my work (Acts of Looking in collaboration with Linnie Cole) discusses how a person transforms after a traumatic event. How they move forward in this newness are questions she and I address through sculpture, audio, and images. Storytelling is at the heart of my work.

Most of the projects I have created over the years are centered around telling others’ stories as they are a reflection of my own experience. When I have felt a lack of community or representation it gives me the opportunity to create that myself. In my photographic work around infertility and 12 step recovery my subjects are self reflective. Allowing people to see me as much as the work allows others to see themselves.

People have always been at the center of my creative practice. I aim to create a space between myself and my collaborators that builds trust and fosters community. The importance here is not the final piece created, but the company of others, sharing a collective pursuit of growth through storytelling.