Artist Statement

Amidst the current flood of ecological and political crises—transphobic politicians, species extinction, and endemic racist police violence—what alternatives can individuals and communities imagine together? In my work, I envision expansive queer and trans futures by creating portals—openings for otherworldly transformation—through immersive prints and installations. In this work, I create an invitation to consider the realms of possibilities offered by the world beyond humans—the everyday alchemy of the life cycles of night blooming plants, the phases of the moon, and the cyclical patterns of growth and decay. These “natural” forms and phenomena become the roadmaps for personal and collective transformation. With their transgressive power for shapeshifting and change, these “more-than-human” icons serve as my personal allies for queer and trans resilience, protection, and growth.

My process begins with research into the scientific data, medicinal properties, and historical records concerning my subjects, combined with careful observation and drawing. Through the processes of printmaking, I develop my drawings and ideas into celestial prints, full of layers of imagery and ink, beeswax and hand painted gouache. Recently, I’ve been transforming most of my prints into three dimensional sculptural pieces and installations, where they emerge as immersive portals, glowing from spheres of plexiglass, stretching across gallery walls, and becoming interactive objects to hold and explore.

I ground this work in the emerging field of queer ecologies—which brings together the insights of ecology with the framework of queer theory—to question and overturn the structures and biases through which society views the world. Printmaking is at the core of my work, with its history as a tool of radical resistance and expression, and my hope is to harness its power to help imagine new queer and trans futures in the world.