Artist Statement

I explore power dynamics and the relationship between the subjugated and the subjugator, this relation typically defines the subjected and their reality surrounding them. Here, I subvert that structure by using the lived experiences of the subjugated to define and recontextualize the subjugator’s often absurd and painful pursuit of power. It shows the way that identity is formed within both parties by the participation and acceptance of one’s role. These themes are informed by research on the social and political, as well as my own personal observation and engagement in this type of environment. Figures are used to represent individual experiences while simultaneously alluding to ideological framework.

To keep focus on the content of the work, the color palette remains limited. Printmaking is the main medium, mostly intaglio and mono print. Printmaking offers a freedom in noncommittal mark making that other mediums don’t allow. Not only does this freedom provide a tension with the visual motifs, but also feels necessary personally to address rigid topics in such a flexible way. I aim for these works to allow viewers to question the role they might assume, by showing how strange, divisive, and pathetic the function of these systems are