Published on March 22, 2021

Virginia Lee Montgomery

CUT COPY SPHINX, HD video, 03:30, 2018.

“My name is VLM (Virginia Lee Montgomery) and I use precision in my work as a video artist, stone sculptor, and visual storyteller to create artworks that do three things: explore the philosophical relationship between physical and psychic structures, conjure agency for myself and my collaborators, and inspire within others a surrealist wonder for the world. Across my diverse art practice, a necessary skill that I employ to address the technical needs of video production (ie. creating storyboards, shooting footage, editing material, syncing sounds, and producing a finished film) is precision. Without the use of precision my video artwork cannot come manifest. For contrast, abstract-expressionist Jackson Pollock may have had the privilege of randomly throwing paint on a canvas to make his artwork, but as a working woman video artist of today, I do not have this easy privilege; I cannot simply throw my DSLR video camera against the wall and expect the nuanced poetics of a finished "VLM" video artwork to come out of such nonsensical violence. No, instead I employ my studio skills in craft, storytelling, and precision. Like a witch, my work is marked by its intentionality, intellectualism, and care, all of which are qualities I honed via a practice of studio magic and willed precision." Virginia Lee Montgomery, 2021.