KELSEY T. DILLOW
Tintypes and other handmade photographic processes outside of Knoxville, TN
BIO
Kelsey Dillow is an artist, photographer and co-founder of Whistlepig Farms, a collective of artists growing food and making art in the holler outside of Knoxville, TN. In her darkroom at Whistlepig Farms she practices various handmade photographic processes, specifically wet plate collodion (tintypes), silver gelatin printing. She takes her tintype studio on the road throughout the region, making portraits at events, festivals and private housecall sessions.
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In her personal work, Dillow's studio practice explores folklore, myth-making and the Appalachian identity. Her work has been exhibited throughout the region.
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Kelsey is from Huntington, West Virginia. She received her Bachelors of Fine Art in Photography & Integrated Media from Ohio University in 2016, as well as minors in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Museum Studies.
Tintype by Joe Brown
ARTIST STATEMENT
Storytelling, myth-making, folk magic and connection to the land are pillars of my art practice and represent a large part of Appalachian identity for me. By attempting to understand the complicated histories of this region, I seek to better understand my own experience.
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I'm interested in the role that photography has played in defining what it means to be Appalachian. I utilize historic photographic processes in an attempt to redefine us, to tell our own stories. In a region where visual portrayals of stereotypes have permeated throughout history and shaped the lives of its people, it seems to me that there is power in creating our own representations.
