Interview with Kayla Suzanne Holdgreve

Can you share a little bit about yourself and your practice?

I am a photographer and archivist originally from Ohio, and currently live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. I work with traditional and alternative photographic processes, various medium and large format film cameras, and utilize natural materials such as dirt and coal from specific locations. I love to explore different natural, archival and non-archival materials to experiment in ways photographs can be printed, reproduced, and experienced.

What themes are you exploring within your work?

A major theme I explore within my work is generational memory and how it relates to place. I also include themes of matriarchy, folklore, storytelling, labor and environmental exploitation.

Do you work with found photographs or family archives? If you work with both, do you have a different relationship to the pieces while creating them?

I work with my personal familial archive as well as found photographs. I definitely have a different relationship and approach when working with personal archives vs. found. When working with my family’s archive, I think about my relationship to the memories, location, and stories associated with the subject matter within the photographs because it does speak to my themes of generational memory. I do try to ask questions from the perspective of the viewer because what I think is interesting might not make sense to the viewer. It's necessary to step back from the personal to make sure it makes sense to the body of work as a whole. With found archives, my relationship is usually visual. I don’t necessarily add or construct a specific narrative to the subject but rather use images I think are visually interesting or leave the viewer with questions and wonderment. It's important for me to let the viewer know what my relationship is to the archival materials I'm utilizing to aid the viewer in understanding the concepts of the work better.