****STATEMENT*****
By intersecting biological and archaeological themes with personal and primitive mythology, my art practice explores the elusive framework of cultural beliefs, and our often-peculiar relationship with the natural world. I have partitioned my practice into two ongoing series, which usually address themes of biology and culture separately.
The series Rocks and Rocks and Rocks is a mix of drawings and ephemeral sculptures. It examines the murky territory of pre-history and the unapproachable aspects of cultural museums. Here, cutting and crumbling paper becomes a metaphor for the subjective nature of historical outcomes, and drawing becomes a way to re-imagine academically significant artifacts through simple and accessible gestures. In each case I attempt to pull the historical display away from traditional approaches and toward something more accessible.
In the second series Bones and Bones and Bones, I use short narrative videos, wildlife photography, and sculptural objects to explore how images of nature can push our imaginations beyond human reason. Within this series, characters such as chimpanzees, pigeons, and buffalo dwell in a world influenced by American folk art, turn-of-the-century occult photography, and creation mythology. In many of the works, animals are posed as prophets or visionaries that at first seem to be unraveling a mystery, but upon close examination the scene’s deceptive qualities seem to vanish.
Throughout both series, the aesthetics of cultural and scientific institutions intermingle with materials that are both common and ironic. Crumbled paper can take the place of a pre-historic diorama. Birdseeds can stand in for stars in a planetarium. A parking space can become a ground plan for an archeological dig. Materials such as mud, branches, and tree roots are manipulated into flimsy artifice, while night crawlers may become spiritually charged through simple camera tricks. When the work is amassed, I hope to portray a museum-like environment that is both messy and deeply personal – an open institution that seems to be stuck in a curatorial drift.
****PAST PROJECTS****
-This July I will be teaching an extended workshop on Archive and Cut Paper in Contemporary Art in Yerevan Armenia. This will be a part of Utopiana arts lab and residency.
-New work at Mixed Greens summer group show ...opens July 9th.
-From the 15th - 20th I will be attending a residency in Ca' di Mattiolo Italy. Organized by Emma Balazs and Chiara Bernasconi.
-On Tuesday March 3rd I will be giving an artist talk at the Universtiy of Central Florida.
-July 10th work from my Musees d'art et d'histoire de Genève series will be presented at Josée Bienvenu Gallery for their summer group show Microwave 6.
By intersecting biological and archaeological themes with personal and primitive mythology, my art practice explores the elusive framework of cultural beliefs, and our often-peculiar relationship with the natural world. I have partitioned my practice into two ongoing series, which usually address themes of biology and culture separately.
The series Rocks and Rocks and Rocks is a mix of drawings and ephemeral sculptures. It examines the murky territory of pre-history and the unapproachable aspects of cultural museums. Here, cutting and crumbling paper becomes a metaphor for the subjective nature of historical outcomes, and drawing becomes a way to re-imagine academically significant artifacts through simple and accessible gestures. In each case I attempt to pull the historical display away from traditional approaches and toward something more accessible.
In the second series Bones and Bones and Bones, I use short narrative videos, wildlife photography, and sculptural objects to explore how images of nature can push our imaginations beyond human reason. Within this series, characters such as chimpanzees, pigeons, and buffalo dwell in a world influenced by American folk art, turn-of-the-century occult photography, and creation mythology. In many of the works, animals are posed as prophets or visionaries that at first seem to be unraveling a mystery, but upon close examination the scene’s deceptive qualities seem to vanish.
Throughout both series, the aesthetics of cultural and scientific institutions intermingle with materials that are both common and ironic. Crumbled paper can take the place of a pre-historic diorama. Birdseeds can stand in for stars in a planetarium. A parking space can become a ground plan for an archeological dig. Materials such as mud, branches, and tree roots are manipulated into flimsy artifice, while night crawlers may become spiritually charged through simple camera tricks. When the work is amassed, I hope to portray a museum-like environment that is both messy and deeply personal – an open institution that seems to be stuck in a curatorial drift.
****PAST PROJECTS****
-This July I will be teaching an extended workshop on Archive and Cut Paper in Contemporary Art in Yerevan Armenia. This will be a part of Utopiana arts lab and residency.
-New work at Mixed Greens summer group show ...opens July 9th.
-From the 15th - 20th I will be attending a residency in Ca' di Mattiolo Italy. Organized by Emma Balazs and Chiara Bernasconi.
-On Tuesday March 3rd I will be giving an artist talk at the Universtiy of Central Florida.
-July 10th work from my Musees d'art et d'histoire de Genève series will be presented at Josée Bienvenu Gallery for their summer group show Microwave 6.
