Statement

Silent Mournings

My work gives life to body-sized sheets of paper in a baptism that transforms material into an embodiment of care and longing. I transmute the paper from a tight bundle, squeezed of all usefulness, and I carefully unwrap it to avoid tears. Using my body as a frame, shrouds are cast into ephemeral figures that are heavy and weightless, fragile and resilient, hollow and filled with breath. These silent skins become screens, activated through their absorption, reflection, and projection of light and shadow. They evoke presence of a life through absence, natural cycles, tender folds of skin poised for a rite of passage, veiled remains, votives of memory, and shells of a carved-out existence. They are vulnerable to the elements, and deflate over time in mourning. Through photography and video, these figures are memorialized and continue to exist long after their decay, leaving behind shreds of a torn shroud and a digital record of their journey.

Ritual Tracings, Embodied

A smeared mark carries diverse physical, emotional, and social connotations, reflecting a tangible residue of bodily processes intertwined with the cycles of life: menstruation, birth, night sweats, nervous urination, and tears. It embodies a potent, emotive expression, sometimes arising from violence, often deemed undesirable, occasionally unhealthy, and requiring expulsion. Moreover, it serves as a gesture of social disapproval and can inflict reputational damage. It represents the aftermath of a mistake or accident, where attempts to erase may exacerbate the situation.

In a series of immersive impressions, I engage in a ritual of smear-making using acrylic paint on lengthy sheets of paper, followed by pressing the remnants from my body to create stained, ghostly prints. This practice serves as a counterbalance to the pervasive curation of the female body and confronts my own aging process, fostering visibility and acceptance. Regardless of societal expectations, stains are permitted to persist, unedited, on the surface where they can be observed.

Thesis:

Artist Talk, Lesley College of Art + Design, January 7, 2022