Creating My Self

Creating art is a way of survival. In making my work, I reconstruct my life as a piece of mythology in order to connect with others. I have experienced much discontent with my body due to chronic illness and gender dysphoria. In confronting this through my work, I build upon a mythological narrative and sense of self on my own terms.

My work references photos of my everyday life, pieces of European folk art and manuscripts, as well as mythological and historical texts. I’m greatly inspired by art made with everyday materials due to the personal connection and associations the artist and viewer may have with them. This interest has led to my work with mixed media, altering found objects and incorporating them with other sculpted, carved and painted pieces. 

My piece Creating My Self is a wood wall mounted box with two doors which open to reveal a shrine-like space holding various uncanny body parts. The pieces inside float in the sky-blue interior. The imagery of the disconnected body parts was developed in order for me to convey my relationship with those parts of my own body and experience of my disability and gender dysphoria, resulting in pieces such as disconnected breasts and a writhing intestine. The creation of these imperfect pieces of found doll parts, salvaged wood, sculpted clay and paint became a story of creating my own body reverently and inviting the viewer to experience my small world. This piece led me to believe that while we make art from what we find around us, we make ourselves alongside it. My work is a constant process of embracing what can be found around me and touching on that part of myself that helps us connect and empathize with each other through myth.