I often find myself returning to some version of the phrase, “The more you see the less you know.” The events of the last few years have cemented this: the death of my close friend, the transition out of college, and the social pressures of Instagram and Facebook. As an artist I am interested in exploring these diverse ideas through individual pieces that reflect distinct ideas, like different songs on an album striking different tones. I primarily work with intaglio and found object to create a gallery space that draws you in and exposes you to contradictory anecdotes. If you walk past the exhibit, you will hear my voice echoing around the room. I have recorded a heavily revised journal entry and play this recording with projections of my handwriting. This monologue sums up my artistic practice by exploring contradictory anecdotes. The showmanship of vocal amplification draws the museum goer into the space where they then might explore smaller prints while hearing my thoughts. In this projection, I am in the frightening space of non-synthesis. Where you feel that you cannot claim any idea because of all those ideas’ natural contradictions. I view this monologue as a kind of persona or unreliable narrator. In other moments I can grasp at a larger picture, but I wanted to explore the moments when you cannot. Much of my artistic practice comes from my work with writing and recording original music. Even in the most autobiographical songs, the writer is often adopting another version of themselves. Divorcing yourself from your presentation allows you to meditate on one idea and create a train of thought more important than if you incorporated it with your natural contradictions. While I am interested in creating a narration that is one train of thought, I believe the rest of the work in the gallery strikes different tones with each piece and forces the audience to grapple with different ideas. Each piece is its own idea and incorporates different materials. I have intaglio prints that reflect individual moments of humor or sadness. I have found objects, like my painted suit, that reflect on more abstract ideas. In that case I dipped my hands in paint and hugged a suit from a used clothing store to reflect on the burial of my friend, and the inability to touch or caress people who are gone to us. Unlike some artists who might use one medium or idea as a consistent jumping off point, I believe that kind of artistic practice limits the full expression of the human experience. I believe my work is unified by the principle that they are all ideas experienced by a fallible and average human living in 2022. You see similar mark making and observations that unite the work under a shared aesthetic. I hope you might hear the narration and wander in. You’ll take a bit of time to look at a piece or two and gain some humorous or emotional conclusion about the way we relate to one another.
Hometown?
Portland, Oregon
Major/minor?
Studio Art & Biology double major
What is your primary medium?
My work is a mixture of intaglio and found objects. However, for myself they are very related. I use found objects as kinds of paper that I print on in the form of projection and paint, while my intaglio works are kinds of found objects using used copper plates and repeated matrixes.
What was the inspiration for your show?
Most of the inspiration for my show comes from my own experiences over the last few months and the transition from college into adulthood. This time has been defined by the death of my close friend, COVID, and the pressures of social media.
What do you feel is the most significant piece in the exhibition and why?
The most central piece is my projection entitled “if you’re listening to this”. It allows me to articulate my thoughts about artist expression and the gallery space. It serves as a central skeleton for all my other work.
How will art and the process of making continue to play a role in your life after graduation?
I hope art will continue to play a role. I will be working at the NIH next year so I won’t be pursuing any kind of MFA. But I believe that kind of collision of creativity and technical skills is found in science for me. I also plan on applying to be a member of a DC printshop and continue developing my skills.
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