KATIE SETTEL – (UN)FORGOTTEN
2019-09-23“(un)Forgotten” is described as “a photography-based exhibit about a common, shame-filled-secret: a ‘forgotten’ sibling.”
“I have a brother who is intellectually challenged and when he was born, doctors urged my parents to send him to an institution,” Settel explains. “As a kid, I always knew of Andy, but had never met him and was always haunted by that — he was a family member we rarely spoke of. But what I’ve learned when sharing this story is that I’m not the only one with this lost history. There are still a ton of brothers and sisters in group homes that are alone because this secret endures.”
Through an artistic encounter of powerful images captured at the abandoned institution and their haunting contexts, Settel believes her photographs will draw viewers into an emotional space of awareness, understanding and possibly healing. “I want to tell my story, show that there is no shame. I want to combine history with today’s acceptance and unite families so that they may become advocates for siblings who cannot speak for themselves.”
Opposite – Mansfield Training School, 2017
Exhibition runs through to October 18th, 2019
Armstrong Gallery
305 Knowlton Street
Bridgeport
06608 CT
