Exposed, 2025
This work originated from my ongoing fascination with the biographical textile pieces of my friend and peer Tali Halpern—their ability to collage something grittily beautiful from places of vulnerability.
I am still searching for the meaning of this piece, as its significance has evolved, devolved, and evolved again. What remains constant is an exploration of sexuality and the complex feelings surrounding intimacy. As someone who has a complicated relationship with sex, this struggle to clearly define itself makes sense. The piece is both liberating and triggering in its nature.
It began with a desire to acknowledge and claim attention for my (what some call) "perfect" ass. But as the work progressed, it unearthed memories of using sex as a validating—and sometimes harmful—practice. Sex will always be a delicate terrain: it can be something profoundly beautiful, yet with the wrong move or intention, it can become something full of damage.
In many ways, this piece reclaims the body I've lost to situations where my body was no longer my own. Yet in championing my body, it also exposes me to an uncontrolled audience—freeing me while trapping me back in cycles of harm. Ultimately, it just is what it is: an exploration of sexuality through a bottom's lens.
Designed Chaos
The concept of "designed chaos"—a fascist technique where unpredictable or seemingly random elements are intentionally introduced either all at once or over time in order to achieve specific political goals. This chaos is used to distract, divide, and exhaust the public so those in power can continue to pursue their agenda without opposition.
This is less an emotion than it is an experience, but recognizing it is crucial to avoid falling into their destructive trap and losing sight of our humanity. Our humanity which allows us to feel must not be taken for granted lest we lose our connection to the greater universe beyond us. By identifying designed chaos when it occurs, we can resist the evil it represents and work toward a better reality where we are all free. I dream of a utopia where simply no one must suffer in an existence they did not ask for, and they may simply be free to live.
A Dream is a Butterfly (in collaboration with Zoelle Nagib)
"After an endless dream, in this world of nothingness it seems as if our beloved dreams will lose. Even with these unreliable wings, covered in images that tend to stay, I'm sure we can fly, on my love." - Kōji Wada
"Dreams are reincarnation, over and over. Like déjà vu, a distant memory, just like reincarnation. Now I'm again unconsciously running off to somewhere. After how many tears will I give up? After how many lives will my wish be granted?" - AKB48
Loosely inspired by Kōji Wada's "Butter-Fly" and AKB48's "Yume wa Nando mo Umarekawaru," this collaboration with Zoelle Nagib explores what drives us as humans: our dreams. These fantasy goals can be as elusive and as hard as catching butterflies, yet with determination, patience, and hard work, they remain achievable.
Even when dreams go unrealized, they serve a crucial purpose—propelling us toward who we need to become as individuals. To reach these idealized realms, we must persevere and push back against forces that would deter us from our desires. Dreams are subject to change, but their power to sustain us never fades. Through dreams, we find the passion and drive to reach heights previously unimaginable.
Our dreams evolve alongside us, but we must preserve our capacity to dream, lest we lose sight of ourselves to those who fear what these fantasies might change.
The Creative (in collaboration with Destiny Ryan)
This collaborative work with Destiny Ryan began with a simple desire to work together. We have maintained a friendship since our undergraduate days at Columbus College of Art and Design, and I felt that our color palettes would complement each other beautifully.
We approached this collaboration using the same methodology that guides my individual practice: identifying a core feeling and manifesting it into a visual representation. Together, we settled on the theme of creativity—the inherent human behavior, and the existential weight that accompanies it. Destiny's work naturally gravitates toward existentialism, using distorted dream-like imagery to illuminate the uncomfortable realities of psychological trauma, mortality, and the looming spectre of climate catastrophe.
As passionate creatives, we felt compelled to examine what the process of creativity feels like from the inside. There is an almost spiritual component—a kind of magic that happens when you are able to conjure a vision from your mind into reality. There is also the persistent awareness that one day there will be eyes on this work; and the question becomes: how do you satisfy the viewer’s curiosity while remaining true to your vision?
The creative life involves having both your mind and your hands in many places at once—juggling multiple projects simultaneously and navigating the overwhelming pressure to complete everything on time. Yet ultimately, if you're called to create, creation becomes inevitable—almost compulsory. This collaborative work offers the viewer insight into the internal experience of creation, and the existential questions that accompany it.
Despite any stress or uncertainty, there is a profound reward in contributing something meaningful to the world. To truly understand that feeling, you must experience it firsthand—you must create.
Transformation v.3 (in collaboration with Jazzy Okami)
This piece explores the concept of pushing beyond comfort zones and embracing personal transformation. Fittingly, the work itself has undergone multiple metamorphoses—evolving from its original concept through (now) three distinct iterations of execution. As the piece continues to develop, it mirrors our inherent capacity for growth and change, with a lunar moth emerging from a stylized cocoon serving as the central metaphor.
I deliberately chose a lunar moth over the more traditional butterfly motif. Butterflies have become so played out in transformation imagery, while moths remain underappreciated despite undergoing the same profound metamorphosis. Why not champion the underdog? Moreover, not all transformations are as graceful as a butterfly's emergence—some are messier, more complex, and ultimately more authentic, like the moth's journey.
As the moth emerges, it encounters visual references to the transformation sequences found in anime series like Sailor Moon and Digimon Adventure, where characters undergo literal metamorphoses to transform into powerful versions of themselves. Digital bars reminiscent of Digimon's evolution sequences appear before the moth breaks free from its soft-sculptured cocoon, while gradient lighting evokes Sailor Moon's iconic transformation from ordinary schoolgirl Usagi into the celestial guardian. These pop culture references create a shared visual language around the concept of growth and change.
Once the moth completes its transformation, it gains the freedom to fly—demonstrating that when we evolve, we become enhanced versions of ourselves, capable of achievements previously beyond our reach. This work honors personal growth and acknowledges its essential nature: without transformation, we cannot truly soar.