Aphoristic Currents

How do written texts influence our identity? In Meryl McMaster’s photograph Aphoristic Currents, wave-like ripples of twisted newspapers swirl around the artist’s head. Reminiscent of an Elizabethan ruff collar, the swirling shapes almost engulf McMaster, a commentary on the capacity of language and print media to influence our perception of identity and culture. Based in Ottawa, McMaster primarily uses photography as a method of storytelling, and in this case, personal transformation. This work is from her series “In-Between Worlds,” which explores the connections between her Plains Cree and European ancestry.