ARTIST STATEMENT

I am exploring love as broad and varied as the people who utilize it are; in sincerity, in fervor, and in truth. Love’s continuous grasp on society is an aspect I continue to be enthralled in with interrogating love. From the most ancient civilization to today, love is present in beliefs, literature, life, and objects. These inquiries into love manifest in many forms, including painting, sculpture, and installation. I traverse various mediums and locations as each piece calls for as to not limit love and its many conceptual and theoretical possibilities, while often utilizing Postminimalist aesthetics and Conceptual strategies. 

I often approach love through the lenses of history, language, philosophy, and culture. In history, love is a revealing window into beliefs, customs, values, and power dynamics of the time. Language and poetics itself holds immense importance through their informative, complex, and nonsensical attributes. Utilizing various visual and conceptual queues allows for challenging revelations through poetics; a harsh truth, a journey, a lie. 

Philosophy opens a wide range of interconnected notions and frameworks within culture itself. One aspect that I have recently been grappling with is the ethical dimension. This line of thinking is spurred on by Philosopher Raja Halwani’s Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Marriage (2018). He raises questions such as, “Is it inherently unethical to love someone?” In addition to those aspects, pop cultural interactions with love are of interest as they create a canonical viewpoint of love, which can be seen throughout history. 

I am continually drawn to the historical aspects of love, captivated by the rich depictions of affection and eroticism, as well as iconic figures like Cupid and Venus in art history. Even Valentine’s Day cards with odd senses of humor from the 18th century have become of interest. Currently, I am engaging in a semiotic analysis of the iconic heart shape as well as deconstructing and reducing Baroque depictions of Cupid.  

I love you, insincerely.