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S T A T E M E N T
Central to my work is the understanding that the human condition is fundamentally universal; that relative conditions vary amongst people, societies and cultures, but beneath that relativity there is a universal matrix -- a framework of feelings, emotions, developmental stages and archetypes that exist in all of us. How we, as individuals, access that framework and make it accessible to others is the domain of the drawings, paintings, objects and interactions I create. The intent is to create a new kind of dialogical structure based on listening and mutual respect, a structure that transcends individual difference and recognizes our interconnection.
Subjective experience remains subjective, and ours alone, until it can be objectified – turned into an object, which might be a thought, a word, an act or a physical object. When that objectification happens we can examine our experience from a different perspective, and when that object is shared, I have granted you access to my world. You are no longer a stranger. An implication has occurred, and perhaps you feel a resonance. Perhaps we have moved beyond our isolation and feelings of separation. Perhaps we have made a connection.
Exposing myself, vulnerably, is intentional. It is an act of release and of generosity, where I use my own experiences so that both you and I can connect to yours. I approach my viewers and participants as one would a confidante, intimate friend, therapist or lover, crossing the invisible boundaries that we erect between Self and Other and challenging the ways that we assume each other to be strangers. In this way, the objects or the interaction, whether found in the privacy of the gallery or unexpectedly in public, is meant to disarm the viewer. The work of art is always the means to a greater end and not the end itself. Authentic dialogue and increased communication are the aspiration.
It is this shift in our relationship to Self and Others that is at the heart of my work. The goal is to create connection by revealing what we feel and entering into a dialogue that stimulates empathy and compassion. To do this means that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It requires participation. I create situations and objects so that you and I can relate, so that we can transcend our separate selves and find the places where we connect.
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