A body, a ruin, a void, a mirror is a compilation of 7 works that seek to define a spiritual identity amidst grief using memory, language, imagery, material exploration, folklore, and mythology. This work uses motifs and imagery from the liminal midwest landscape to create a suspended realm between existing/non-existing and natural/artificial. Through analogue photographic processes working in tandem with fiber, ceramic, and print experimentation this latent terrain of grief is transformed into physical embodiments of the fragmented experience– simultaneously zooming in and out to investigate an experience without defined bounds. The use of recurring mediums and imagery speak to the spiral theory of time– constantly overlapping and expanding within the convergence of past, present and future. The installation is an offertory experience– inviting the viewer to activate the space with their body through movement and touch. The ritual of interacting with the work therefore honors the ritual of making the work.
Allow the vessels to guide you and seek the offer of release — of all that we know, and all we do not.
This installation is dedicated to my mother and father– I am guided by my mother’s pure spirituality and my father’s stubborn cynicism in which I was taught to examine everything, ask questions, and find my place within. I am proud to be your son.
for transcripts & translations click on a piece below:
madre mia, luna de dios
jupiter, entre cielo
a(marte)
a body, a ruin, a void, a mirror
the angels
a special thank you to my professors that guided me in the making of this body of work... I am forever grateful for the space you held for me in my time of need.
jesse avina
jairo banuelos
aimee beaubien
robert clarke-davis
myungah hyon
javier jasso
kyle bellucci-johanson
annie kielman
mayumi lake
nathan lauffer
conor lausen
melissa leandro
devin t mays
nathan miller
kate o’neill
christian ortiz
andrea peterson
peter power
oliver sann
oliver shao
matt siber
sonja thomsen
lucianne walkowicz
thank you to my high school mentors, rebecca bullen & kevin clark, for building me into the artist i have become. i hope you know you are appreciated by many for all the care that you have given to your role as educators.
thank you to my lovely friend, james wu, for helping me bring the sound piece to life
thank you to my love, lucky kapka, for the support in the making and installing of the show for which i would have been an empty vessel without <3