artist’s statement:

my gender identity post-HRT, and emphasizing care for myself, have been at the forefront of my artistic practice this semester. the question of “i "‘pass’ now, so where do i go from here in this new-found comfort?” appeared to me a lot.

i’ve evolved this chapter of my artistic journey to include myself and my personal and mental needs, not just outside of my practice, and not just in artistic portrayals, but in the creation of it as well. these artworks are an extension of my self, and thus my innerworkings, and thus my body/surroundings, and thus my gender identity.

these were created in my last semester of college, when the stress was really piling on. they were also created when i was deciding whether or not i wanted to continue with HRT, what it means to me, and whether or not my journey with was coming to a close. including people outside of myself (a friend, my pet, a group of artists) both allowed me to clear my mind on the subject of my deep confusion and stress, as well as furthered my artistic practice, and branch into collaboration.

i played a lot with the idea of a double in reference to the self and how i perceive the self. i also did the opposite in the cases of the last 3 projects i worked on: focusing on not just my own body and its dichotomies, but the impact and embodiment of those in my surroundings. i wanted to put perspective to various different points of view, and allow myself to clear my head from the confines of the body. this includes things such as baking, and enjoying time spent with my pet and others’ pets, though still not forgetting that the body is a vessel that i live in and will need to consider with contemplation, as i did particularly with CYCLE.