Artist Statement

I am the younger and only sibling of a sister with Downs Syndrome. Siblings of children with special needs face unique emotional challenges throughout their lives, often struggling with feelings of isolation, grief, anxiety and anger. I try to explore these feelings and experiences in my work. I use domestic objects and basic construction materials to reference the home and the human body. By building interventions and insertions into the objects I make, I attempt to create moments that can be either quiet and contemplative or overtly distressing.

My recent tunnel series explores the vast potential of imagined space. Inserted into various found or constructed objects, the small tunnels I construct create illusive, imaginary spaces. Too small to be occupied physically, the viewer must project themselves into these spaces mentally. I hope to evoke a sense of fantasy and a feeling of escape, as the miniature becomes the gigantic through the use of imagination.

My current body of work explores the juxtaposition of found furniture and large, chaotic piles. The interactions between the objects and the piles are at times very subdued, but often, the gesture enacted upon these domestic forms becomes quite aggressive and destructive. The furniture I use for these pieces is found at local thrift stores and comes with its own wear and personal history. The piles and hectic wooden assemblages represent a buildup of tension, anxiety, responsibility and worry. I treat the found furniture objects as stand-ins for the human form, and allow the piles to join, consume, or destroy them.