Artist Statement

Part of the power of Martin Zimmerman's On The Exhale is its simplicity; it captures the oblivion of losing a child in a shooting. I wanted to express the crushing isolation - often self-imposed - that the woman depicted experiences. Early in discussions with the director, a point he raised was drawing a parallel between the isolation of grief and of firing a gun. The Woman herself is focal, but she is scene by scene, either imposing and composed against the world or virtually alone in a void. Interestingly, there is some solace in this void; it is where she can be with her son again. As she moves through the space describing the events that lead up to and past her son's death, close focus is maintained on her as she pushes through the space. The monolithic set imposes itself in some moments and disappears into the blackness in others. She is alone despite addressing the audience directly from the start; the use of the word "you" as she describes her actions closes the gap and makes her journey deeper and deeper into darkness all the more unnerving as the audience starts to recognize themselves in her.