Sculpture + Mixed media

Artist Statement

I am a mixed media contemporary artist residing in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, NYC since my early 20’s. Currently working with underprivileged young people in the Bronx. In my own spare time, I like to explore global social issues in an uninhibited and aesthetic manner. My desire is to understand society, the people within it, their social struggles, as well as my own. The people around me are my heartfelt muses and inspiration. At times challenging, my art questions the expectations of predefined socio-economic strata systems, social constructs, and sociological paradigms. My use of materials, from paint on canvas to found object assemblages, documentary video, photography and photo journalism has no limitations. Through my art, I research and document various international social and cultural behaviors, how these are perceived globally, and how one culture’s political issues correlates to those of another, paying special attention to unique similarities. 

My collection from 2019 “Queer Angels Rising,” is an ongoing series dedicated to the LGBTQ + community and inspired by my own experience as the parent of a transgendered daughter. My art channels her struggles with gender identity and, more broadly, the courage of non-conformists at large who have endured hatred and repudiation for centuries. In 2015, the moment for full marriage equality finally arrived with the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. In a landmark 5-4 decision, marriage equality became the law of the land and granted same-sex couples in all 50 states the right to full, equal recognition under the law. These gains were only made possible by people such as Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson, among others who gave up their lives in the name of LGBTQ advocacy. Despite these monumental advancements in civil rights, the United States Supreme Court is poised once again to question the rights to peaceful lawful union in our country. We have seen parallels across Europe and around the world with the emergence of far-right rhetoric. We are still dealing with hate crimes; and we have a long journey ahead of us in the quest for understanding the biology and psychology of gender and what it means. 

Slowly, the conversation around sexual identity has begun to address the reality that there is more to gender than Male vs. Female, and labels are becoming more fluid. There is not enough art that addresses the struggles of the LGBTQ community. My “Queer Angels Rising” series attempts to redress this shortage by way of an artistic idiom that subverts some of the central themes traditionally associated with western idea of angels as white, blond and uniquely male. These works are both a subtle and forceful take down of the status quo.