Artist Statement
I create work that falls into four categories or act as an amalgam of them all. 1) Work that in one way or another lies to either the viewer or themselves which makes it contradictory and function like a visual pun. 2) Work that discusses the individual and their place in society, either mentally or physically. 3) Work that aims to find myself in my position in society. 4) Work to further hone my skills to improve the first three.
1-3 - I aim to show the audience that the negative aspects of lies, individual positioning in society, and my perspective as I try to find my own can be made better by a change of said perspective toward the comedic and witty. I often use the contradictory nature of society and show the implications underneath the mask to focus on this. I accomplish this through my cartoonistic and satirical art style with a focus on creating work that can be read as straight-forward, but with layers of detail for those who want to look. I aim to have these works question the individual and their position or role in society, or of the society and the parts it overlooks as a whole. Obelisk of Overlooked Obedience, for example, acts as a monument to the ones who are “to be expended by society” through a mix of Grimm’s fairytale ideas with Ambrose Bierce wit to open a spectrum of readings of the same topic. This technique can also find use for finding myself within this system, as seen in Stop Hitting Yourself, where through active ignorance towards the inner self, your outer self suffers from your own incompetence rather than through someone else’s actions. And the concept of unwelcome judgement of yourself is hinted to within Indecent Poetry, where even in the outskirts one can’t escape the feeling of fear and regret, which is a pressure everyone except for the most oblivious has felt or will feel. Though by discussing these topics with a lighter touch with a bit of humor, I am able to sneak the negativities through without pushing the fearful away, and they are the ones who are in need of a bit of a push.
4 – My exploration of various other mediums (Photography, Painting, Performance, Video) is a way to extend my knowledge of my own work. I focus on the techniques needed, the effect on my concepts, and the ways new perspectives can offer new readings. Composition is a concept utilized in the 3-D as mush as the 2-D. My photographic work, such as In The Lights, is meant to practice spontaneous framing to shift my understanding of the entrance of the art into the view of the viewer.
The topics I discuss may be insignificant to some, but I feel that these are things that need to be uncovered to allow for their seriousness to be recognized - for a simple problem changes the functionality of the whole. If the problem is taking the place of the individual then the issue needs to be given form to free up space for them, and that is what I aim to do.
Artist Haiku
Sculptures are my trade.
Cartoonistic Animals,
of Society.