Sontag famously wrote about the photograph as a means of securing ownership over an ethereal past. Her words come to mind as one moves through Hailey Heaton’s “Hissyfit,” which reckons with the erosion of memory (and therefore history) through dementia. (The artist’s late grandmother was afflicted, inspiring this exhibition and an accompanying photo book from Friend Editions.) Rather than trying to stage representational tableaus of the illness, Heaton offers snapshots of mundane moments that appear both incidental and immortal, making both people and the natural world her subjects. A young woman faces away from the camera, anonymous and yet distinguishable by a sliver of pink panty, making manifest the intimacy of the candid. Foliage under sunlight seems fragile simply by virtue of its aliveness. In addition to showcasing her own striking prints, Heaton cleverly uses the physical space of the gallery to examine how we turn memories tangible on an everyday basis: family keepsakes (newspaper clippings, drivers’ licenses) are laid out on a table, evoking a scrapbook; tiny portraits sit framed on a shelf, the way one might encounter them in a relative’s home. 

Hailey Heaton: Hissyfit
Authorized Dealer
1741 Silver Lake Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90026
On view through April 6, 2025