My artwork explores the impact of negative emotions, such as tension, anger, and discomfort, through sculptural forms. I find that these negative emotions, though universally experienced on a personal level, are condemned as socially inacceptable to exhibit, particularly in the public sphere. My goal is to provide a stage for these repressed emotions and appreciate them for their violence, complexity, and intrigue.
Before art, I worked in design and studied viewer’s emotional response to abstract forms. I found that viewers had a much stronger reaction to forms that were visually jarring and discomforting than to those that were pleasing. It was through this realization that I began to ask myself why my own negative emotions and negative experiences had such a defining impact and greater effect on my life than my other experiences.
Though my work stems from my own perspective, by abstracting my experiences I hope to address the universality of these emotions. I have found that in the range of emotions, the negative is often overlooked because of the unpleasantness it brings to people. My work aims to exhibit this emotion in a way that can be accessible and acknowledge it as an emotion that needs to be experienced and expressed.
Photos and press release for this artist.
Residency: February 2014 - May 2014
Art Exhibition: Friday, May 23 & Saturday, May 24