Rochelle Costi
Inkjet print on cotton paper
46.46 x 49.61 in
Rochelle Costi’s work investigates the mechanisms of affective memory, often activated by images and elements of everyday life. In her practice, collecting and photography are not only articulated but integrated as devices for constructing meaning, leading the viewer toward an experience of recognition and identification. In "Coleção da Artista" [Artist's Collection] (1993–2016), a long-term project, Rochelle Costi brings together hundreds of heart-shaped objects accumulated over more than two decades. Initially arranged within the intimate space of her domestic environment, these elements are later displaced into the exhibition context, where they undergo processes of organization and reclassification. In this movement, the artist activates the logic of collecting and moves between affection and inventory, proposing a reflection on the ways in which value and meaning are assigned to objects.