“The dull mind rises to truth through that which is material and, in seeing this light, is resurrected
from its former submersion” (Abbot Suger, 12th C.)
Alsdorf’s practice investigates the contemporary crisis of meaning brought about by the deconstruction of language and symbols that once cohered. Her artistic research examines the semiotics of the Judeo-Christian tradition as its symbols circulate in art historical, kitsch, and advertisement contexts. In an increasingly fragmented and illegible world, our domestic and commercial landscapes still echo persistently with these symbols. Flowers, light, and saturated colors are recurring motifs in Alsdorf’s work. Often, false cognates appear, or their etymological sources, alongside word play which aims to re-associate us with these definitions.
Alsdorf’s work as a house painter cultivated her thinking about painting in its utilitarian, decorative, and conceptual forms. Sign painting, Tramp Art carving, and contemporary techniques all feature in her work, which is a meditative venue for both labour and craft. As the viewer is confronted with the visual barrage of the contemporary world, we become either desensitized or hyperalert to these signs. In our disenchanted context, how can our attention be recaptured and reawakened to a greater spiritual reality?
Hannah Alsdorf (b.1993, Saranac Lake, NY) is a painter of images and houses. She is an alumna of SUNY Adirondack (2013) and North Country Community College (2015). In 2019 she received her BFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design, and she graduated with her MFA in Painting and Drawing from Concordia University in August 2025. Alsdorf has also studied Art History and European Studies at the University of Vermont, and painting at SCAD Lacoste in Provence, France. Her work has been included in group exhibitions throughout the Eastern United States, in Texas, France, Québec, and online. She has received academic awards including the Kiah Painting Endowment, the SCAD Achievement Scholarship, and the Tom Hopkins Memorial Graduate award. She is currently based in Montréal, Québec, where she is a Catholic catechumen of the Traditional Latin Mass at Mission Saint-Irénée-de-Lyon. She will be confirmed in Spring 2026.
