Artist Statement
My recent work includes several series of paintings that weave inter-related experiences – including growing up with a mentally ill family member, pop culture and famous works of art. My work often displays an unsettling intersection of childhood and the adult world.
Hello Masterpiece
In my most recent “Hello Masterpiece (art appreciation)” series, I juxtapose the character, Hello Kitty, with famous images from art history. The paintings are postcard size, similar to those found in a museum gift shop. The famous paintings become pop culture icons akin to Hello Kitty, and the paintings’ appeal as take home sized objects reinforces their context as commodities in a market. In these paintings Hello Kitty is often taking a tour through art history and dressing up to “match” elements of the famous painting. Hello Kitty becomes a toy version of Cindy Sherman, capable of changing identities by transforming her outer appearance. However, her “toyness” and her obvious overlay on the image disrupt any illusion that she actually fits in the scene of the artwork.
In other images from this series, Hello Kitty is pointing toward social or political issues, such as war, genocide, or gender identity. I rely on her to charm the viewer into looking, but her innocent, playful appeal contrasts with the serious adult subject matter. With this contrast of adult and childlike content and these “high” and “low” cultural icons, I hope to elicit laughter and irony.
Unholy Ghosts
Another series, "Unholy Ghosts", consists of images of a figure underneath a child’s bed sheet. The ghost is a metaphor for the haunting quality of mental illness and memory, as well as a reference to a common childhood costume and experience of hiding. In the "Unholy Ghost Interior View" series, I paint from views inside these sheets to create abstracted visions of the interior experience of childhood.
Spills and Pills
In several other series ("pill spills," "hello pills," "swallow"), I create images of increasingly popular psychiatric pills, such as Prozac, in various intimate spaces. Mental illness is often referred to as the “invisible disability." This work makes visible several aspects of mental illness, such as the lingering shame and stigma, as well as the popularization of psychiatric medication. The pills are juxtaposed with popular characters from childhood, such as Sesame Street characters and Hello Kitty. I want the shift of these images from a private to a public sphere to contribute to a transformation of this invisible disability - from a silent, shameful experience to a visible and open dialogue.