My work explores the psychology behind the conflicts and the bonds one creates with the places, events, and faces encountered while in displacement. With influences as diverse as Khalil Gibran, Gustav Klimt, Modigliani, and Picasso, new synergies are created from both simplistic and transcendent structures. I was always fascinated by the endless oscillation of the human condition, from what makes us who we are and the psychology behind each moment of encounter and their impact on how we exchange on a sociological and environmental level with one another as individuals or collectively as a nation.
Studying what makes us who we are and how nations thrive or fail leaves only a sense of decadence and the chance of a new reality. What starts out as destructive soon becomes rousing into a manifesto of hope and growth, leaving a sense of perspective and an inevitability of a new order. Just like the double-edge role of collective memory, while it creates delusional Ideologies in one civilization it can also ignite growth and innovation in others.
Through a painstaking collage of intuitively deconstructed fragments of my own photographs carefully selected based on color, shape, and symbolism, wavering portraits of women with diverse identities are clarified. My mixed media portraits are sculpted with photographs that represent cherished memories, lessons, and visions, testifying to the endless possibilities of our culture. Each step is a unique expression of my personal experiences, a journey of self-discovery, and a powerful message of hope and tolerance.
Mixed media on canvas
55″ x 35.5″