Screen, Who Drinks Your Tears? Series

Allison Gretchko

Allison Gretchko, a recent graduate of the Royal College of Art, is a photographer whose work is imbued with a breathtakingly thoughtful, romantic, and nostalgic quality. Her artistic practice delves into the interwoven themes of care and consumption, exploring artefacts, inheritance, personal archives, and memory. Through her lens, Gretchko examines the fluid nature of photographic images, uncovering intimate relationships and behaviours that connect people to places.

Gretchko's distinctive use of analogue photography and natural light is central to her romantic and nostalgic aesthetic. By choosing analogue methods, she embraces the imperfections and tactile qualities inherent in film, which imbue her work with a timeless, evocative charm. This approach allows her to capture the subtle interplay of light and shadow, creating images that feel both intimate and ephemeral. The use of natural light, in particular, acts as a sense memory, triggering emotions and nostalgia much like a familiar scent or melody. This technique not only enhances the romantic quality of her photographs but also highlights the elusive nature of both image-making and memory, inviting viewers to engage deeply with the storytelling within her images.

In her project *Who drinks your tears?*, Gretchko explores the notions of collective memory and cyclical return through autofictious photographs of a generational family home. This series postulates scenes of domesticity as ecosystems for familial formation, tactile memory, and materiality, questioning the archive of inheritance in both physical and psychological terms. Her photographs invite viewers into a haunting interplay of light and life, framed by dense shadows and the semblance of human presence, drawing them into the motions and memorials of past and present.

Gretchko's work perhaps resonates with the thoughtful romanticism and nostalgic depth found in the works of contemporary photographer Mona Kuhn. While Kuhn is best known for her large-scale, intimate depictions of the human form, Gretchko similarly employs natural light and a sense of intimacy to evoke a deep connection between the subject and their environment. Both artists use their medium to explore themes of memory, interconnectedness, and the ephemeral nature of existence, creating poignant and evocative narratives that linger in the viewer's mind.

As an emerging artist, Gretchko's work offers a unique investment opportunity. Her editions are small and her prices remain accessible, making her pieces not only a profound addition to any collection but also a promising investment for the future. The intimate and evocative nature of her work, combined with her distinctive use of analogue techniques, positions her as a compelling artist to watch and invest in now.