Amalgamation of the Imagination

This is a series of 2D and 3D works surrounding my experience with mental and physical illnesses. This is a part of a larger group exhibition themed around mental and physical health with Anna Puim Minguez, Devin Nguyen, and Vinny Hett.

I create most of my work with one intention in mind: to capture the vulnerability of human bodies and experiences. I believe that what gives art so much power is its ability to connect humans to one another, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or region; languages need to be translated in order to be understood, but images don’t. 

This body of work features three paintings and three sculptural works. These paintings visualize my private struggles with body image and my mental health, taking something as intimate and vulnerable as nudity and putting it into public view. One in particular includes a scarred thigh, visualizing the way mental illness is often inscribed onto the body as a site of shame and survival. 

The three sculptural works weave my physical health and medical trauma into the aforementioned conversation on mental health. Migraine Solution features a guillotine blade, something used to execute people, to capture the violent desperation to end the pain I feel when experiencing my chronic migraines. Sacred Heart Monitor blends the Catholic sacred heart, a symbol of devotion, suffering, and sacrifice, with the cold sterility often associated with technology and medical devices. Other than reflecting my own experience in hospitals, by merging these two things, I aim to critique how both religion and medicine sanctify pain and demand devotion, often erasing the humanity of those who suffer or struggle. Last but not least, Medically Enlightened is made out of prescription bottles I've collected over the years, using my antidepressants to physically illuminate the exhibition and tie together the themes of mental health, bodily vulnerability, and the systems that are meant to treat them.