Artist Statement
The ideation of the human condition, specifically the emotional struggles of loneliness, connection, and anxiety contribute in shaping the identities and themes that form the basis of my work. Growing up as a queer person of color in the rural West, has greatly contributed to the experiences that fuel my work and drive abstract ideas of humanism and the connection, or lack thereof, between individuals that often references the isolation found in Wyoming. Religious sculptures and rituals from Catholicism as well as cultural Mexican practices serve as the largest inspirations that have permeated my work, creating ritualistic modern manifestations that engage the human form with how the object is worn or utilized. My sculptures rely on the familiar emotions all people encounter, however, elevated to a melodramatic level, allowing for the viewer to take on an outer role to observe emotions they may have experienced. This detachment from the scene often allows our eyes and minds to wander and observe the elements that may have led up to the spectacle, and how those events can percolate into our everyday lives.