Artist Statement
Grounded in disability studies and embodied cognition, my practice challenges the idea that bodies and minds must function according to a fixed standard. I approach the body as a site of meaning shaped through lived, sensory experience, allowing me to reconsider dysfunction not as failure but as variation. This perspective opens space for alternative understandings of identity, perception, and expression, and encourages a more nuanced view of difference as something generative rather than limiting.
Using materials such as rope cord, plaster gauze, and repurposed bedding, I translate invisible psychological states into physical form. These materials carry emotional weight. Rope cord suggests tension and restriction, plaster gauze reflects fragility and layered complexity while forming an outer shell that references skin or clothing, and bedding evokes both comfort and confinement. The plaster gauze suggests a surface that both protects and constrains, pointing to discomfort or dissatisfaction within one’s own body and mind. Through these choices, I aim to externalize what is often unseen and invite viewers to engage with the textures of lived experience.
A recurring motif in my work is the use of blood cell platelets, which act as a visual language for translating internal struggle into something tangible. These forms refer to biological processes that are typically invisible, bringing attention to the hidden labor of the body and mind. Through them, I communicate passion, empathy, and pain that cannot be fully expressed through language alone, reinforcing the need for visual and material methods of expression.
The manipulation of materials and the plasticity of my concepts are central to my process. I allow forms and ideas to shift and adapt rather than remain fixed, creating space to better understand myself both physically and mentally while allowing room for growth. This openness to change mirrors the evolving nature of identity and perception, making the act of creating as important as the outcome.
Both digital and analogue methods are essential to this process. Through digital scanning, photogrammetry, 3D printing, and CNC routing, I translate physical forms into data and back again, often allowing distortion or loss of information to occur. These disruptions mirror the breakdown of emotion, memory, and perception, emphasizing how internal experiences can fragment or shift over time.
Ultimately, my practice helps me navigate my own mental health while contributing to conversations around embodiment, neurodiversity, and disability. By making internal experiences visible, I aim to foster empathy and challenge assumptions about what it means for a body or mind to function normally.