My current work investigates the artificial presentations of information and ideas we encounter in contemporary culture. Exploring the relationships between pop culture, commercial, and fine art, subjects are openly presented as seemingly absolute in position but realistically reside several degrees from fact when investigated. Through investigations of people, media sources, abstract data, and general opinion, admissions about these perceptions are broken down to reveal their components and associated subset ideas.
Through the lens of my curiosity, my work takes a critical but satirical view of specific social, political, and cultural issues such as vaccination, individual rights, religion, war, and politics. Conclusions filtered through my own experiences are fused within these new insights and then used as a basis for ideation. The simple images offered post-investigation are superficial representations of these revelations. Visual presentations of the artificial indoctrination we digest daily via mass media spotlight intentional misinformation by governing bodies and discussions surrounding dominant historical institutions.
The work features bold, iconic images with low-brow aesthetics that include forms of subversion, humor, and sarcasm and have a focus on shared participatory experiences. Constructions of power, identity, and cultural phenomena are all addressed. Using simple symbolism and my ever-present nonbinary figure as a central form of iconography, each work is used to pinpoint and highlight specific issues. On occasion, the work is superimposed with declarative captions to draw added attention and support the single idea investigated. Controversial subject matter is always the main focus to drive conversation and provoke viewers to new and perhaps unexplored spaces.
Working from a multidisciplinary approach, I use a variety of materials. Post-studio creation plays a role and is used as both a process and a resource. Characteristics of my work remain consistent throughout, with identifiable forms of appropriation from pop and graffiti culture, use of traditional forms of painting and printmaking, infusions of bold, heavy line work reminiscent of manga culture, and saturated fluorescent neon colors. All these ideas are arranged into new forms to inject energy and excitement into serious themes. In the end, we see images that are media-friendly in shape with modest bits of reactive information packaged in vibrant, shiny forms. Simple forms of direct communication are fashioned for easy mass consumption to reveal deeply flawed ideals, concepts infused with a dark and cynical nature and massive hypocrisy.