In my work, animal and human forms reflect on the posthuman condition. I investigate the common experiences of humans and animals and the way animals have been perceived in both historical and contemporary contexts. Depicting animal subjects, I strive to understand what they communicate through their body and gaze. While deconstructing the differences between humans and other species, animals and objects, nature and culture, I aim to reveal the entanglements that exist between the human and nonhuman. Postcolonial studies and animal studies inspire me to move beyond an anthropocentric point of view to explore my humanity and animality that prevails within my own nature.
In terms of form, I am interested in the relationship between physical presence and physical space and the resulting dialectics of inner and outer form. The object or the viewer can reveal the shape of a space, or the place of the body can be indicated as a void. Through the negative shapes of some forms, a more abstract outline is made visible. Through pairing and juxtaposing forms, I seek counteraction and challenge. Positioning elements that put forth conflict of purpose in binary opposition is an invitation to contemplate why things are the way they are and what would happen if they change. Transformation of objects can shift the way they are viewed through changes in scale, material, color, or the way they are positioned in space. Correlations of human, animal, and ready-made forms can reveal the complexity of our encounters—what do we find disturbing, humorous, or pleasing?