Krebs
2025-ongoing
The bodies that we unthinkingly rely on day to day can betray us in a moment, becoming something unfamiliar and alien. How does one come to understand and accept the vulnerability of the body to pain and illness? The series Krebs (German for crab and cancer) seeks to visualize the struggle this question raises. The surfaces of the sculptures, treated with terra sigillata, put the materiality of the clay on full display. The intrinsically fragile nature of the clay figures mirror the fragility of the systems that keep our bodies functioning.
Upon discovering cancerous tumors in the body and noting their resemblance to crabs with growing limbs, Hippocrates named them karkinos, the Greek word for crab. This is why the word for crab and cancer is one and the same in many modern languages. The crab’s disproportionate strength and existence on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years make them a link to the tidal power and ceaseless nature of disease.
Each sculpture is hand built using a combination of coil, slab, and pinch techniques, using minimal references to allow for a more intuitive depiction of the body. The application of terra sigillata highlights textural details and creates a waxy, luminous, skin-like finish that doesn’t distract from the form of each creature. Krebs reminds the viewer to remain grounded in the body in pain, and value the body in health.
Hybrid Beings
2023-2024
This body of work examines the correlation between femininity and nature through a series of whimsical figures, each of which existing on a spectrum between plant and woman, and fantasy and reality.
Each work presents itself in frozen, fragile power. Clay is intrinsically fragile, mirroring the way femininity is linked by society to fragility and weakness, as is any non-human entity. The feminine and the non-human may be admired, idolized, and and protected, but simultaneously they are labeled as Other. A rejection of fragility is suggested through the assertive size and heft of the sculptures, as well as the monolithic confidence and peace reflected through the poses of each being. A material link between feminine bodies and natural forms is provided through the manipulation of fired clay and glaze. Each work was sculpted by hand using a combination of memory and reference images of the human body and respective plants, which were chosen based on personal experiences.
The figures are presented in a range of sizes to undermine the human-centric tendency for a viewer to empathize with beings similar to their own size and form, such as Sunflower, more than a being that is more plant than human, such as Pond Lily. The work posits that each being may simply exist as its own self outside of a hierarchy between human and plant. Through the fantasy and whimsy of these hybrid beings, the viewer is invited to explore where they belong on the multifaceted spectrum of femininity and the more-than-human world.
Time Capsule to the Present (BFA Thesis Exhibit)
2023
These works reflect the increasing complexity of life as we grow older. I use ceramics and oil painting to explore themes of growth, escapism, and nostalgia. Nostalgic memories, though pleasant to reflect on, can become glorified and inaccurate over time, causing us to see the present moment in a less positive light by comparison. I find it intriguing to explore our memories from times when life was “simpler,” and why they stay with us for so long.
By sculpting objects from my childhood, I create time capsules that harken to experiences and feelings that have been left behind. I hand-built each object from clay using minimal references, favoring my memory to recall the details of each piece instead. This allowed me to reinvent the object through the lens of nostalgia. The ceramic candelabra, for instance, is a reconstruction of one made of driftwood by my father. The ceramic version has become larger, heavier, more abstracted, and more delicate due to the nature of its material.
The paintings create a field to explore the psychological space these memories hold. Altered color palettes, loose mark-making, and repetition push these moments into varied levels of abstraction, suggesting that they’re simultaneously forming and dissolving – set apart from reality. The predominately monochrome palette represents the color of both growth and corrosion, further suggesting our complicated relationship to time and aging. Aging is a complex and inevitable part of living. I created these objects and images to explore my past and present, and to invite the viewer to consider theirs as well.
