text on the gallery wall

Each line within this phrase corresponds to a large scale collage. They hold the location and concern for the actions I take, what is done in my name and question how can I identify systemic causes of racism, sexism and environmental degradation. I desired a record of how I can be mindful to avoid embodying and propagating the harmful ideals I see orchestrated within institutional legislation. I often find these evils thriving inside me. I expel them onto scraps of paper so I can look them in the eye, unfold their seams and see where they have been to try and rid myself of them.

My hope is that these cyclical, self-referential works have created a space to digest ideas by inviting others to ride the ebb and flow of my words and visuals. The prose poetry is my reading, my journey through the works I have created. Through my struggle to accompany this group of images with words, I encourage viewers to participate, to form their own narrative while meditating on the ideas I have worked inside the images.

The scale of the mark itself testifies to my swirling body and dancing arms. A mark of how I have learned to move for months. I have come to a way of creating images where my process remains evident in a physical form. This record of my actions and thoughts proves useful; what I have learned cannot be summarized yet exists in a form that can be shared.

These visuals are dependent upon layering. Layering enables thoughts, events and conclusions made at different times from different locations to come together and share multiple perspectives on the subject matter at hand. Collage is the process, the vocabulary that allows me to articulate this eternally layered, infinitely changing understanding of autonomy.

With others present; we can jump into what is seen. What is seen is personal and must be approached respectfully as such. With that in mind I will stand with what I have done. I am a conversationalist. I strive to let my tongue be held, flap free and twist to control my pace when necessary. To consistently learn from speaking/listening and all other social interaction which involve as much if not more effort then the creation one of these large collages. Each is a unique form of conversation where different ingredients come together in an attempt to form an integrity that can be understood as communication.

Through the creation and destruction of a variety of print processes reborn as larger scale collages, I encourage you to enter a surreal world infused with my personal experience and political commentary. These collages could be constructed using multiple versions of one image. Through a variety of assemblage techniques the original image could have completely dissipated. It leaves no recognizable part of itself, only a story informed by what they are composed of.

I print mostly on recycled paper; over old drawings, etchings or found fabric. The more history is embedded within the materiality of image, the easier it is for me to work with it. The habit of collecting in public invites a break in the secrecy surrounding art making. The question “What are you doing?” might be the beginning of an alliance. In an attempt to bring the artist labor out of the night and back to the work force I have traced my figuration, my topography, my map taking the form of this visual phrase.