2024
My newest work explores memory, narrative, and nostalgia as they intersect with self-identity. I challenge the dominant notion of memory as a linear narrative—a construct that can impose rigid and sometimes harmful structures on how we understand the past. To me, memory is not a static record but a malleable, dynamic process shaped by emotional resonance and the evolving lens through which we view ourselves. Through painting and illustration, I embrace this fluidity, shifting focus toward expressive, ephemeral interpretations of past scenes that reflect memory’s role in shaping identity.
Memory serves an evolutionary purpose; it is not merely an archive but a survival tool. Our mind can store vast swaths of information while utilizing endocannabinoids to help us forget. The process of remembering, forgetting, and rebuilding these moments is the triptych of self-identity. My recent paintings explore this complexity, particularly as it relates to trauma. Each composition captures snapshots of moments where trauma and influence blur the boundaries between reality and perception. By layering emotions and figures, I depict multiple temporalities—the original event and the act of remembering it—revealing the delicate interplay between these dimensions.
Fantastical figures populate my work, challenging viewers to consider their instinct to craft narratives that position them as heroes in chaotic stories. These absurd characters highlight the strength of our storytelling and the difficulty of confronting unvarnished truths. Memory, like clay, is reshaped with every recollection. As we revisit the past, our brains weave archetypes and narrative structures into those memories, continually reconstructing a sense of self. This process often results in a tension between emotional and logical understandings of the past—a dissonance between the truths we tell ourselves for protection and the objective truths we seek.
My work neither condemns nor celebrates these tendencies but instead examines the confrontation between the absurdity of my subjects and the viewer’s perception. By inviting the creation of new narratives and story arcs, I seek to break free from established myths and tropes that persist in modern history. Through layered compositions, bold colors, and expressive brushstrokes, I encapsulate the emotional resonance of memory—how it felt then and how it echoes now.
This tension between emotional and logical understandings of memory is a universal struggle, particularly relevant today. My art illuminates the fragility and fluidity of memory and truth, creating a space where viewers can grapple with their own stories and confront the ever-shifting nature of the past.
