Statement
I make paintings, drawings, and mixed media sculptures that are allegorical representations of what it means to other and be othered. Drawing from histories of complex relationships that exist between humans but also between humans and animals, I make the case that we are all other and that by coming to terms with this we can minimize space between each other. To reinforce this idea, nonhuman animals take center stage in my work because they are most othered. Yet we often identify with them in spite of their apparent difference or distance from us because they fill us with wonder and contempt.
My paintings and drawings approach otherness mostly through portraiture and anthropomorphic representations of animals. I’m interested in blurring the line between us and them that comes with seeing oneself in another face and body. Additional parallels are drawn by referencing similarities in behavior, genetics, and objectification. Sculpturally otherness is depicted as fragile structures that occasionally permit the viewer to engage through touch, historically a more vulnerable position for the other.
Underlying everything is a deep appreciation for nonhuman animals. I’ve been drawn to them since watching nature shows as a child and later their depictions in art and entertainment. I’m heavily influenced by animal folklore or fairytales, super hero comics and cover art, movie posters, and animals as divine beings in historical and tribal communities. Ultimately my work is about destigmatizing otherness and celebrating what appears strange or different rather than fearing or seeking to control it.