ARTIST STATEMENT

Entwined within a continuous flux of experience and analysis, it is upon reflection I find an intrinsic attraction toward the act of creation as a method of expression. Interdisciplinary in practice, the intention behind my work is to propose questions upon structures that construct social norms and that limit beings who identify outside them. Examination of my subjective life produces questions concerning the condition, quality, and fact of my existence within the context of both society and nature. Art stands as a constructed podium to communicate my questioning of human life, pre-prescribed modes of living in society, and the invisible systems that govern humans.

At birth, it can be said that it is the beginning of a human being’s life and subsequently all future experiences will have influence in shaping this life. Nothing regarding genetic makeup differentiates humans from nature. In a physical sense we are part of it and what makes it whole, although development as an intellectually conscious species has resulted in a self-perceived identity apart from and in relation to the natural environment. A base of biological inheritance in combination with the social structure and culture of the society we are born to affect our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of what should be and what is, both consciously and unconsciously. Via institutionalized enculturation and socialization, without thought or choice, I have been shaped by the accepted norms and structures of American culture – domesticated. To be externally perceived as successful and accepted, one is tamed to identify within a framework built around them based on the judgement of others.

When you find yourself unaligned with what you should be and what is an unlearning and subsequent relearning of understanding occurs. Through analysis of myself, I discover aspects of nurture opposed to nature. It is in these gaps I find areas of my being agonistic to prescribed standardization, yet adherence is not severed. My position as a queer person in the lower-middle class has resulted in feelings of outsideness in a society founded on heteronormativity and capitalism. A balancing act of blending in and individual self-expression has impacted my identity throughout my upbringing and results in questioning now in adulthood. This questioning is explored through interdisciplinary object-making and drawing.

The compositions of my sculptural works are found through modes of symbolic and literal material exploration, resulting in range that I find to be suggestive and referential. Within sculpture there is a strong focus on materiality. The inherent meaning and origin behind the matter of an individual piece is important, as it is the foundation upon which it expresses its whole meaning. The use of industrial materials including steel, glass, and asphalt portray a sense of rigid construction. Such materials are commonly used within society’s infrastructure and allude to industry and the made landscape. Natural materials, including flowers and grass, are often reversely used to illustrate a distinction between naturally occurring and artificial. The intent of combining these types of materials lies within exploring the boundaries between humans and their place in nature, questioning ideals more rooted in western philosophy. Some works are purely industrial, some are purely natural, and some are a juxtaposition of both.

The roadway system provides a large influence on my work. My interest lies in its ability to control humans seemingly without conscious recognition. Road signage is an accepted government enforced system for navigation. An index of symbols and text gathered from the US DOT Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and symbolic materiality aim to highlight our adherence larger structures that limit a person’s experience. An effective traffic sign should meet five basic requirements: fulfill a need, command attention, convey a clear and simple meaning command respect from road users, and give adequate time for proper response. The signs began as mimicry in steel and color and have evolved into etchings in clear glass and mirrored panel, which aim to show thoughtful reflection on engrained but often transparent systems. In installations, chevron arrows and other directional symbols are used in tandem with marking on the ground to merge the audience around/through the work to contemplate the aspects of standardization in American culture. While other non-installation work provides more text based directional signage to steer the audiences thought instead about its capitalistic demands on individuals, especially those within the working-class. Functions of society cause intersections between ourselves and other people/institutions. There is similarity in how at personal cross-roads we tend to look to our larger framework for direction and our trust in traffic control devices stands as a metaphor for this trust in social structure. Directional signage guides us from wherever we are to our destination one step at a time and helps us in navigating unfamiliar surroundings.

The former materials act as a foil for colorful and ridiculously out of context consumer items, often children’s toys, that serve as a critique of commonly welcomed values and norms I find myself opposed. Playfully children use toys which help to nurture cognitive development and contribute to shaping a child’s perceptions of the world and societal structure. Imitation and roleplay relate to societal roles, relationships, and expectations, cause and effect relate to understanding certain actions lead to specific outcomes, problem-solving skills relate to navigating real-world problems, and symbolic thinking relates to the use of symbols and representation for understanding abstract concepts. Toys also facilitate interaction and teaching about social dynamics and can include educational aspects towards language development. Often playthings reflect the norms of the society they are produced within and historically are associated with relaying accepted gender roles shaping how a child perceives themselves and their place within the surrounding cultural fabric. This multitiered use of these objects holds incredible influence on a person’s development through engagement and it is within that potential why they remain a personal interest and driving force within my work.

Playfulness can decline in priority as a person enters adulthood and focus shifts to upholding an often seemingly never-ending to-do list of responsibilities. Reimagining toys from my late 1990’s/early 2000’s American childhood I revisit free play, relearn the world, and reconfigure my perceived framework. Each work addresses an individual aspect relating to the society or culture of the United States. Hybrid toy car and mannequin legged figures represent a single-family unit, differences regarding identity and gender roles between generations, and their image as a happy, normal family. The façade of an upside-down toy house filled with cow manure and perched atop a disheveled pile of broken white picket fence questions the decay of traditional ideals of the American Dream. Both family and home question the sanitized narratives often associated with family and familial effects on personal identity. Donkey and elephant spring riders emerge from/over-extend a central cement pillar, flip-flopping, as comment upon the polarizing effects of a primarily two-party political system on personal and group identity. Other aspects critiqued include an acknowledgement of consumer-based capitalistic motives and the residual effects of alcohol/substance use, and their influence on culture.

Drawings take meaning in a similar context as my sculptures, with a focus aligned with the intention being using children’s toys. Typically composed of chalk pastel and charcoal, allow me to express my views purely through signs/symbol without interference of material meaning. Pigment and paper, I am able to construct my own environments having full control stylistically and of subject matter. Drawings take on a storybook-like style and imagery, held in a balance between realistic and almost cartoonish rendering. This storybook quality is to reference the effects and use of children’s books to instill cultural values and norms by introducing children to narratives that involve social structures, relationships, and moral lessons.

Through drawing and object-making, I aim to continue to critique and ground my understanding of the human experience through analysis of my own within the context of nature, society, and American culture.