Artist Statement
I abstract ideas of the body to question its limitations, to understand our skin as a container, imagining how it stretches, shrinks. Asking, how do we fill and define our bodies? In drawing and sculpture I show anthropomorphic forms that are disguised, distorted and some are mummified in linen or burlap. The purpose and actions of these figures remain mysterious but they have their own quiet lives and a personal history. They are forms that I’ve dug up and uncovered in my subconscious. Inspired by the photography and excavation of ancient Greek tombs, I am making objects with mysterious histories and past lives.
Symbols and objects are often repeated. With each piece I look for their true form throughout the process, seeing each version as a different life or an evolution. These scenes are part of an indirect narrative I’ve followed for years in an attempt to consider human intimacy with the self and other. I use writings, inspired by the work, and record myself reading those stories aloud. They have a confessional aspect to them, words said in darkness to ourselves and loved ones. I bury the speakers within the sculptures. My voice is layered and distorted, coupled with the solemn tone of the electric organ. The voices of the figures can be as disguised as their bodies. Sound enriches and brings a new life to my work. I ask the viewer to listen and consider the history of these objects that often have a dormant or sorrowful quality.