Artist Statement

Being deeply affected by the circumstances of my family’s past conflicts, artmaking has been an avenue to find peace within me. Fiber construction and the usage of color has given me a way to unload and heal from traumatic experiences caused by my unbalanced family dynamics. By using repetitive layering of transparent materials, they present as a physical representation of collecting past experiences, mending and recollecting myself. The bold color choices of red, white, and black, communicate the contrasting emotions within me. I utilize these therapeutic techniques of garment construction to depict my inner struggles along the timeline from my childhood to young adulthood. The departure of my father and his abandonment of my family was a life-changing event that resurfaced in the early stages of my work.

As time grew, transitions of my experience and ability to adapt to a changing environment began to become apparent in my artmaking. In Breakthrough, the octopus tentacles on the large blue tulle dress represents the resilience and ever-growing ability to heal from trauma. Mending and physical repair in cuts and rips on my garments help make the piece whole, acknowledging the struggle and healing elements in my growth. Slowly, I move away from the wallowing sadness of my family’s circumstances and translate my emotions into creating artwork, mending the struggles within me. The artwork I create is a form of coping with emotions I don't always wish to face. Being able to convert my emotions into my art, the ability to hurt, to break, and to heal again are accented through this process of obtaining closure.