Melissa Wiglis has been creating photograms for over ten years, with objects ranging from flowers to sea creatures. For this series, Wilgis relies on this seminal analogue process to explore the complex narratives embedded in women’s undergarments. Indicators of cultural norms and gendered expectations, these undergarments elicit a challenged nostalgia for and a wonderment of their bodily transformations, in tandem with the sheer lusciousness of the resulting photogram. The photograms act like a palimpsest, transforming the physicality of the original garments into a 1:1 scale trace. The title of the series, “She Tells A Story,” captures the multiple narratives that unfold, from that of the original owner of the garment and the circumstances under which it was worn, to the artist’s chronicling of her own artistic practice within a historical trajectory of the medium of photography. Eschewing all methods of visual trickery, the photograms explore the physical logic (or lack thereof) of bras and girdles, and of photography – light on paper and chemical transformations. She Tells A Story will showcase approximately 30 photograms, ranging in size from 16x20” to 30x40,” along with a separate display of the original garments used by the artist. A portion of ALL sales will be donated to Women for Afghan Women.