Artist Statement
Working through the disciplines of drawing and painting, I have created works that explore the theme of cultural and sexual identity through the lens of childhood and adolescence. These emotive, visually alluring pictures depict scenes of young girls engaging in play that borders between sexual experimentation and innocence. By honing in on the right moment and the in-betweens, enough information is provided to create a narrative and engagement with the viewer. This level of engagement is utilized to great effect but also aims to push a psychological agenda in which the viewer begins to question what they are witnessing. The interactions of these girls within a middle class suburban home investigate the origins and manifestations of race and social taboo.
Another body of work that is developing concurrently, takes the loosely autobiographical character of “Marjorie”, and thrusts her into a world somewhere between the mythical and the real. Through an intuitive approach I create small pen and ink and large scale charcoal drawings in which Marjorie navigates a banal, minimalist world. Marjorie also emerges from the two dimensional constraints of paper in a live performance on a NYC playground. Through this performance, Marjorie confronts the “real” world in search of home to determine a connection between place and memory. These explicit and implied narratives, speaks to a larger story of the struggle towards understanding identity, cultural history, sexuality and surviving psychic trauma.
Inspired by the characterization of Claymation and cartoons, the history of illustration and painting and memories of my own life, these works probe into the idealized versions of childhood. By depicting scenes that many can relate to, these works aim to hone in on the emotion and nostalgia associated with youth.
updated Jan. 2012
Working through the disciplines of drawing and painting, I have created works that explore the theme of cultural and sexual identity through the lens of childhood and adolescence. These emotive, visually alluring pictures depict scenes of young girls engaging in play that borders between sexual experimentation and innocence. By honing in on the right moment and the in-betweens, enough information is provided to create a narrative and engagement with the viewer. This level of engagement is utilized to great effect but also aims to push a psychological agenda in which the viewer begins to question what they are witnessing. The interactions of these girls within a middle class suburban home investigate the origins and manifestations of race and social taboo.
Another body of work that is developing concurrently, takes the loosely autobiographical character of “Marjorie”, and thrusts her into a world somewhere between the mythical and the real. Through an intuitive approach I create small pen and ink and large scale charcoal drawings in which Marjorie navigates a banal, minimalist world. Marjorie also emerges from the two dimensional constraints of paper in a live performance on a NYC playground. Through this performance, Marjorie confronts the “real” world in search of home to determine a connection between place and memory. These explicit and implied narratives, speaks to a larger story of the struggle towards understanding identity, cultural history, sexuality and surviving psychic trauma.
Inspired by the characterization of Claymation and cartoons, the history of illustration and painting and memories of my own life, these works probe into the idealized versions of childhood. By depicting scenes that many can relate to, these works aim to hone in on the emotion and nostalgia associated with youth.
updated Jan. 2012
