Artist Statement

As an artist, I have always struggled with sticking to only one medium. There are days where I prefer paint, others where I want to draw, and some where photography speaks to me most. Therefore, my art reflects how I am feeling at the moment of its creation, and often ends up being mixed media, where I can express myself freely with whatever mediums suit my intention for the piece. Nevertheless, a consistent element in my work is the subject matter: I am constantly entranced by faces or bodies and their ability to tell stories in a simple, yet profound way that is easy to connect with. 

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It is important for me to showcase the human body in my work because I increasingly feel as though young people like myself are developing a disconnect with their own physical bodies. Even though we live in our bodies, we truly spend most of our time in our minds. Especially now that we are confined to our homes and are mostly unable to interact with others except through social media, we are beginning to attach more importance to our online image. As a result, we are creating a negative relationship with our body by being overexposed to an online culture telling us it is, in some way, wrong. We forget that we are real, physical, breathing human beings, ultimately losing our connection to the rest of the physical world, and each other. 

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Therefore, I am devoting my work for this class project to highlighting the body, both aesthetically and soulfully, using photography and digital collage to reshape the online space as best as I can for other young people. Perhaps most of all, I want my work to tackle body image and the way social media harms it, by putting an emphasis on nature, the senses, and finally, the human experience.