I work from a keen and heightened sense of my own corporeal existence. Thoughts and memories of social interactions, intimate situations, and ensuing mental and emotive layers inform my art. I employ my own body as a matrix, a tool for endless variations and experimentations, and in this way, analyze my experiences and personal history, transcending the mere narcissistic impulse into deeper realms. Human beings inhabit a lived physical shell, easily manipulated and distorted, creating a surreal reality, as the residue of emotions stain the skin in an accumulative process.
My art stems from a private contrast of traditions, as I continually examine my heritage, experiences, and environment. Working with various processes, such as printmaking, drawing and photography, paper and fabric, stitching and staining, my artwork evokes a sensual response. I employ my own collected vocabulary of forms and personalized symbols, a pin to recall a stab of physical pain, a color to reflect a mood or emotion, a sewn line of thread to reference body hair, scars or creases of the skin. These metaphors instigate a physical experience, creating an intimate dialogue between the content of the object and the perception of the viewer. Materials are engaged in a physical transformation by the transformation of fluid fabric into an undulating form. Disguising the figure behind a drape or veil creates an atmosphere of mystery, as well as an element of protection. To deny the viewer full access stimulates a conflict between desire and control, eliciting a physical and emotional reaction.
The use of physical layers to symbolizes the complexity of human thoughts and emotions, often times confusing and irrational. These private relationships instigate resistance between the inner and outer self, creating an atmosphere of tension and turmoil. The resulting effect resides on the surface of the skin in the form of a facial expression, physical gesture, or a sensitive exterior that carries the evidence and memory of touch. Manipulating and distorting the figure in my work calls attention to popular cultural phenomena about the body as a personal socio-political criticism. Imaging a fragmented body emphasizes is corporeal aspects, as isolated elements demand specific attention. A gestured hand, misplaced limb or distressed surface serve as a metaphor for internal emotional unrest, opening the door of vulnerability. Decorative patterns symbolize gates and act as a visual barrier, a metaphor for the two-way action of revealing and concealing emotions. To pass through them is to bear witness to suppressed layers that remain trapped within the psyche, manifesting on to the skin.
Making work about being here in the body, I dissect and reassemble my own form in expressive ways, to universalize the female body as a general representation of humanity. Combining androgynous body parts to generate a being of another world, non-descript fleshy forms dissolve into a flux of shifting signifiers and tangential references. These images and objects transcend reality, engage fantasy, and integrate aesthetics of beauty with the mysterious in a way that challenges social taboos. My artworks and installations trace the history of touch and physical sensations of the body, its corporeal reality.
My art stems from a private contrast of traditions, as I continually examine my heritage, experiences, and environment. Working with various processes, such as printmaking, drawing and photography, paper and fabric, stitching and staining, my artwork evokes a sensual response. I employ my own collected vocabulary of forms and personalized symbols, a pin to recall a stab of physical pain, a color to reflect a mood or emotion, a sewn line of thread to reference body hair, scars or creases of the skin. These metaphors instigate a physical experience, creating an intimate dialogue between the content of the object and the perception of the viewer. Materials are engaged in a physical transformation by the transformation of fluid fabric into an undulating form. Disguising the figure behind a drape or veil creates an atmosphere of mystery, as well as an element of protection. To deny the viewer full access stimulates a conflict between desire and control, eliciting a physical and emotional reaction.
The use of physical layers to symbolizes the complexity of human thoughts and emotions, often times confusing and irrational. These private relationships instigate resistance between the inner and outer self, creating an atmosphere of tension and turmoil. The resulting effect resides on the surface of the skin in the form of a facial expression, physical gesture, or a sensitive exterior that carries the evidence and memory of touch. Manipulating and distorting the figure in my work calls attention to popular cultural phenomena about the body as a personal socio-political criticism. Imaging a fragmented body emphasizes is corporeal aspects, as isolated elements demand specific attention. A gestured hand, misplaced limb or distressed surface serve as a metaphor for internal emotional unrest, opening the door of vulnerability. Decorative patterns symbolize gates and act as a visual barrier, a metaphor for the two-way action of revealing and concealing emotions. To pass through them is to bear witness to suppressed layers that remain trapped within the psyche, manifesting on to the skin.
Making work about being here in the body, I dissect and reassemble my own form in expressive ways, to universalize the female body as a general representation of humanity. Combining androgynous body parts to generate a being of another world, non-descript fleshy forms dissolve into a flux of shifting signifiers and tangential references. These images and objects transcend reality, engage fantasy, and integrate aesthetics of beauty with the mysterious in a way that challenges social taboos. My artworks and installations trace the history of touch and physical sensations of the body, its corporeal reality.
