There are a few definitions of the word chimera. Most people understand it best as a female monster out of Greek mythology or in terms of genetics, when one organism has more than one set of DNA. There is another lesser known definition in which a chimera is a mental affliction: something hoped or wished for but is in fact illusory or impossible to achieve. My chimera is in keeping with this last definition. It is a longing for something that will never be. It is looking towards the past in hopes to understand the future even though the future will never look like the past again. It is loss, it is longing, it is questions that have no answers.
Ryan Helfant was born and raised on Long Island, NY and now currently lives and works in Brooklyn. Her work tends to explore the decay of memory and the conflicting feelings of craving novelty and familiarity based on her own experiences while dealing with chronic Lyme Disease.
Website: ryan-helfant.com
