2026-Present
Artist Statement
Through artistic practice, I aim to develop a dress rehearsal for the rest of my life. Working in oil mediums on paper and board, through figuration and the essence of place with unfinished backgrounds, I stage memories and imagine interacting with loved ones, living and observing precious moments. The work acts as a welcome reprieve from the mentality of surviving. The drawn scenes double as tools for materialization, affirmations that I am deserving of love. In my mind, I built worlds in direct opposition to the rejection of my reality. This world became a playground where my atypical behaviors and peculiarities could be hidden. In fantastical landscapes, with clear protagonists and villains, I could develop a sense of belonging and safety. As an adult, these landscapes shifted into a search for safety and hope for a fulfilling, intimate life. I desired to feel safe in my mind, my body, with a loving partner, a doting family, and in a foreign country where I could be unknown–my existence unscrutinized. Fantasy stopped being a tool for escapism. And became a method of materialization—and an opportunity for becoming alongside a life still being lived.