“return to your childhood

and kick out the bottom

then become a being

not dependent on words

for seeing” 

— d. a. levy

My work exploits the outsider's surfacing view of my body by subverting expectations that it must contain an essence. I find that the free expression, modification, and contortion interest me; further, I desire to grasp strangeness and represent it as undeniably human. I love changing myself, my body, my ideas, and to imagine that I am brand new. As fairy tales once proved wondrous, I find my exploration calls a distant, child-like consciousness back to reality. Why is it that dress up is relegated to youth, whereas work and exploitation become the adult’s only playground? 

Straying from narratives that art must be serious to be canonically respected, cherished, and analyzed, I question; Can I stop being an artist? Make me a disciple, or a salt shaker, or Tom Brady if that will make my practice more accessible. Like your seventh birthday party or the headgear you wore at your middle school graduation; I hope by participating in more “pretend” I can tap into audiences’ potential wells of open acceptance. 

I play on common motifs from my childhood, hoping to pang those who value that same nostalgia. References to pain, although nuanced, are never ignored in my work. I want moments forgotten to resurrect in front of our eyes, and to confront the sweet recollections of our childhood from the bittersweet eyes of its future. Through this outlandish approach, I aim to balance reality and reconstruction. I find this work often resonates with those hoping to uncover it, as we all have children buried inside our heads.