Genesis; Cracking the Hollow Self (2018), shattered mirror, acrylic paint, glue, fabric, sharpie, gold ink

This piece was created around the idea of gender dysphoria (the condition of feeling one’s emotional and psychological identity as male or female to be opposite to one’s biological sex) and body dysmorphia (obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance).  The act of shattering a mirror decorated with poetry written about my experiences with gender expression, is an action of healing.  Through this work I reclaim the idea of feeling negatively about not fitting binary and societal expectations.  I prompt the viewer to reflect upon their own relationship with self image, and how this idea of self is focused heavily on appearance.  “Genesis; Cracking the Hollow Self” was inspired from a visceral need to reject the feeling of dysphoria and invalidation which stems from presenting as feminine yet identifying as more masculine.  This artwork was created as catharsis and to express an anger against beauty ideals drilled into those who are assigned women at birth. This work  relies on the viewers own subjectivity around body image and would contextualize the meaning differently depending on who looks into the mirror.  For example another gender queer person viewing the piece and relating to the shared experience would be different from someone who has never experienced body image issues.  In the greater context of the contemporary art world this artwork is a representation of the queer and trans experience from one perspective.  It is socially relevant as more and more trans artists are creating work around ideas of oppression, dysphoria and opposing the binary.

Piece hanging in The Whitney

Process

Material Experimentation; glue and paint

Finished Piece

Detail

Detail of mirror

For my postcard I took an image of Manhattan and edited wetlands onto it. In 2050 my prediction is that to mitigate climate change and water levels rising, NYC will implement floating islands of a new wet land environment surrounding the island that relies on natural systems in place to create healthy soil that will absorb the excess water.  In the movie “Symphony of Soil” we watched for class we learned that healthy soil with thick root systems and diverse plant life can absorb more water and be self sustaining.  This built environment will be made to mimic natural systems in place and not be reliant on nitrogen rich fertilizers that will further pollute the waters. Instead, with the technology advancements in 2050, we will be able to create this city project that will produce jobs, and possibly use some of the allocated soil to grow small amounts of produce.  This space will not be commercialized to avoid traditional farming methods that will ruin the soil, instead its purpose is to help the city be more sustainable and help flooding. In addition, the plant life will be able to soak up some of the pollution created by the city allowing for air filtration and cleaner air. Through this method the city will not have to spend millions of dollars in flood protection and damage control.