Abby Pfaff is a studio artist primarily working with photographic processes and video. Pfaff’s current series, Hair, is a series of work (including photo, video, installation, writing, sculpture, collage, zines, jewelry, fiber, performance, etc.) focusing on the investigation of hair in relation to society, mental health, culture/tradition, art, identity/self and Pfaff’s personal connection to these topics. The body of work is in dialog with the greater artistic community as it identifies, documents and makes several statements about hair including: the stigma against body hair, hair being evidence of yourself in time and space, the cultural and historical impacts of hair, hair and society - as hair can be a signifier of status and professionalism.
The series, Hair, includes different types of media so that audiences can explore the topic in varied ways. Viewers may look through zines, view collages and framed works, interact with handmade jewelry, sculpture, and fiber in order to really understand what all is said about “Hair”. “Hair” is a broad subject, and Pfaff wants to document and share as many details and stories about the topic as possible. This series of work focuses on hair in relation to society and how humanity still treats people differently due to their hair. Hair is something we all have in common and yet people are criticized, punished at school and the workplace for their hair. Women who choose not to shave their armpits or legs are often criticized by men and women alike. This series of work aims to shine a light on these issues and attempt to help normalize body hair.
Pfaff’s previous work is more documentary style aesthetic. In her series, Nana & Pop, Pfaff explores her deceased grandparents’ house and documents what she finds interesting. Growing up, Pfaff and her family did not visit much or know that side of the family well. Because of this series, Pfaff is able to get to know her grandparents in a more personal way than she ever did while they were alive. These images were taken in their house, and they memorialize the home. Within this project, Pfaff was able to find out so much about her paternal grandparents and their lives. For example, her grandmother went to the University of North Texas and studied Advertising. While attending UNT, Treva (Pfaff’s grandmother) went through several art classes much like Pfaff had to during her time in undergrad. While visiting the house, Pfaff’s uncle brought out Treva’s old art portfolio from undergrad. By learning about this connection, Pfaff felt like she knew her grandmother better now than she had whenever she was alive. This series was important, personal. The final series of images are preserved in a book with text alongside the images to tell a story about how Pfaff felt while making these images as well as the things she learned about her grandparents and her paternal side of the family in general, from the experience.
In an ongoing project, Outside, In, Pfaff uses the camera as a tool to look into strangers’ windows/homes and observe them when they are at their most vulnerable. Vulnerability and voyeurism is a recurring theme in Pfaff’s work. For this series, Pfaff does not go on anyone’s property, but she uses a telephoto lens to capture intimate moments from the comfort of her home or her car/outside of the home. When presented, Pfaff put the images onto a view master toy, where the audience can look through and it may seem as if they are the “peeping Tom” themselves, peering into the windows of these strangers. This project is ongoing and unfinished, but in the end, Pfaff will hold a solo exhibition with interactive materials to show this series.
Mental health is an important theme in Pfaff’s work. It is shown in her older work, Nana & Pop, where she showcases hoarding versus obsessive-compulsive disorder. In her new series, Hair, Pfaff speaks about mental health directly relates to hair. Pfaff struggles with trichotillomania, which stems from anxiety and OCD. Trichotillomania is the compulsive desire to pull one’s hair out. This disorder has personally affected Pfaff’s life in many ways. In this series, Pfaff interviews other people who struggle with this disorder, as well as people who suffer from similar mental disorders. Another important focus of Pfaff’s work is on identity and the idea of “the self”. Pfaff is currently working and studying the idea of the self and traces of the self that is left behind with hair. For instance, when you step out of the shower and there is hair on the bathroom wall, that is evidence of your existence that is no longer attached to you anymore. Thus, giving the hair meaning and displacement or separation. The idea that hair is evidence of oneself in time and space is interesting to Pfaff, and this is a topic that will be thoroughly researched and focused on.
Pfaff hopes to attend graduate school where she will continue to study Photography. Ultimately, Pfaff plans to teach photography at a University level. Teaching has consistently been a passion of Pfaff’s, and she hopes that she can share her love of photography with other young artists. Along with teaching, Pfaff hopes to gain gallery recognition in the future as well as create and write photography books and installations. Pfaff’s main goal is to do what she loves for the rest of her life, make art, and share her love of photography with others.