Rachael Banks —Between Home and Here

I am the oldest of three, but more like a mother than a sister.

I constructed a family of siblings, both real and assumed. Between Home and Here addresses deeply internalized guilt and the essence of loved ones.

There is a history of pain and an apparent inwardness in my family. My brother has a rage inside of him that I know others can see. But, I can’t help noticing the way he delicately handles a small rabbit in his arms, gently stroking its ears and shielding its eyes from the fear of the unfamiliar. I am a witness to their sensitivity and empathy in how they revere animal life, despite human failure.

This is a story about hating and loving where you are from. It comes from doing anything to go back to a place that you left.

I left my heart in Kentucky and came back to find it. The photographs are artifacts from my search.

Rachael Banks (b. Louisville, KY) is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Northern Kentucky University and is based in Newport, KY. She received an MFA in photography from Texas Woman's University (Denton, TX).

Rachael's work focuses primarily on family dynamics and personal experience. She is especially interested in social subcultures and identity informed by place. Specifically, Rachael’s creative research focuses largely on her identity and community found within the state of Kentucky and the midwest/southern region. Her creative work is distinctly influenced by socio-economic issues that are present in her home state and how it affects her familial relationships.

Rachael is an avid supporter of self-publishing, zines, and education (in all forms). Her work has been shown regionally, nationally, and internationally.

For more information, please contact Rachael Banks at: rcambanks@gmail.com or visit: www.rachaelbanksphoto.com
Interview with Rachael Banks here