Artist Statement

I create multimedia installations that serve as sanctuaries for those in need, while deliberately unsettling those who take daily security for granted. My immersive spaces combine paintings, found-object sculptures, and elements of sound and smell, conveying the duality of attraction and discomfort inherent in marginalized experiences. Through my processes of welding, abstract painting, and worldbuilding, I depict the everyday experiences of a marginalized individual in a way that is both attractive and repulsive. 

My process begins with the research of historically idealized traits that have been weaponized against marginalized groups and how as a queer Black woman I can assert what I see as ideal. In tapestry-style paintings, I layer glitter and gold leaf on top of deep-seed layers of acrylic paint, reflecting the metaphor of superficially adorning something to make it “palatable.”

This theme is further illustrated through “proxy weapons”—sculptures shaped by steel fabrication. I work the resilient steel until it threatens to collapse, covering its trauma with artificial ornamentation. This practice mirrors the pressures on marginalized individuals to conceal the impacts of oppression, reinforcing the tension between beauty and brutality.