Being a catalyst for social change and awareness is the backbone of my practice. How we treat our fellow humankind guides the direction of our culture, society, and country. My work operates as simulacra for American culture by embracing satire and pop culture through installations, sculpture, and drawings. Reflecting society back upon itself, the work aims to be an accessible vehicle of social commentary in an ever expanding and connected world. The goal of my practice ultimately is to initiate change by propagating connectivity via comedic objects, finding common ground within diversity.
Comedy is the great equalizer. Jest and laughter make the work accessible to a diverse audience, adding an entry point to charged topics. Bright colors, rich textures, and exaggerated forms add an approachability to serious subject matter. Comedic objects are jokes that never lose their novelty or gravity, making their conversations continuously relevant. Challenging commonplace notions of success, the work juxtaposes the mundane with pop culture and excess. Gold, bling, children’s toys, hashtags, and used building materials produce an air of ghetto fabulousness. The work displays the constant struggle to achieve an idealized vision of success that lacks substance, cheapening the idea of wealth obsession in American culture. Perceptions of Value, as it applies to material goods vs. our fellow humankind, is at the core of my practice.
Space is a particular concern in my work: creating an interactive space for the viewer, disrupting space with the presence of an object, and questioning the function of a space. A disruption of expectation within a space serves as a point of questioning in the visual language of art. It challenges our understanding of the world around us, and begs for a moment of pause and consideration. Similar to the arm reaching for a handshake, space is used to invite the viewer into the composition. Whether intimate or extroverted, my practice utilizes space intentionally as a mechanism to support the work, enhance the experience, and converse with the viewer.
Comedy is the great equalizer. Jest and laughter make the work accessible to a diverse audience, adding an entry point to charged topics. Bright colors, rich textures, and exaggerated forms add an approachability to serious subject matter. Comedic objects are jokes that never lose their novelty or gravity, making their conversations continuously relevant. Challenging commonplace notions of success, the work juxtaposes the mundane with pop culture and excess. Gold, bling, children’s toys, hashtags, and used building materials produce an air of ghetto fabulousness. The work displays the constant struggle to achieve an idealized vision of success that lacks substance, cheapening the idea of wealth obsession in American culture. Perceptions of Value, as it applies to material goods vs. our fellow humankind, is at the core of my practice.
Space is a particular concern in my work: creating an interactive space for the viewer, disrupting space with the presence of an object, and questioning the function of a space. A disruption of expectation within a space serves as a point of questioning in the visual language of art. It challenges our understanding of the world around us, and begs for a moment of pause and consideration. Similar to the arm reaching for a handshake, space is used to invite the viewer into the composition. Whether intimate or extroverted, my practice utilizes space intentionally as a mechanism to support the work, enhance the experience, and converse with the viewer.
