CULTIVATE

2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition

This series of work explores the relationship between self and space by reimagining domestic objects as expressions and outcomes of human experience. Within the exhibition the viewer is confronted with objects that are often seen as intimate and personal. To be invited into someone’s environment gives one the opportunity to understand and relate to the nuances of their lives. Surreal elements throughout the sculptures allude to the queerness of life, regardless of our sexual and gender identities, in an attempt to “normalize” the spectrum of queer experience.

The abundant variety of flora is an evident nod to the concept of cultivation that simultaneously threads together themes of personal and historical queerness. These flowers are some of the numerous aspects of realism, that when juxtaposed with the use of exposed construction materials, raise the question of what within our world is authentic and what is merely a facade.

Weight on My Chest (of Drawers)
Foam, wood, Aqua Resin, found glass vase,
crepe paper, wire, acrylic paint
58 x 18 x 18 in.

Sleeping Enby (Nightshade Plastisexum)
Foam, fabric, Aqua Resin, Apoxie Sculpt,
crepe paper, wire, acrylic paint
75 x 55 x 18 in.

Rollercoaster of Love(seat) (front)
Foam, wood, Aqua Resin,
Apoxie Sculpt, acrylic paint
108 x 52 x 24 in.

Tell Me You Love Me (behind)
Wood, Aqua Resin, cement, Home Depot buckets, hot glue, crepe paper, wire, acrylic paint, Gardenia fragrance
96 x 65 x 12 in.

I Hope Your Flowers Bloom

This series of wall sculptures within Cultivate use fragmented environments to conjure memories and draw comparisons between the precariousness of natural plant growth and Queer existence. The relationship between Queerness and the dandelion is especially evident in that groups of people often see them as weeds that need eradicating, when in actuality, each are important and beneficial members of society and nature.