ABOUT
MARYLAND, DC, VIRGINIA
I was born with a bone disorder called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED), which causes collagen in the joints to form incorrectly. This results in short stature (dwarfism), osteoarthritis, neck instability, scoliosis, joint inflammation, chronic pain and other issues. When I was 13, vertebrae in my neck were fused to limit their mobility and lower my risk of paralysis. This summer, I had a hip replacement to improve my ability to walk and reduce my pain. My personal work serves as an outlet for me to explore and understand my disorder. I create my work to cope with the realities that I have faced with my body, using the concept of disembodied pain to speak to a broader audience.
I aim to heighten people’s awareness of their bodies by showing them photographs of limbs, joints, and materials that look like an internal view—parts of them that they never see. Elements of touch, smell, sound and movement force viewers to think about how they experience senses, motion, and the world around them. I photograph organic materials like silly putty in a way that transforms them into an internal view of the body. This internal view encourages viewers to consider what’s happening inside their bodies, whether it’s pain, numbness, or any sensation, which leads to conscious experience. Bodies are strange, and I want to make people think about them in all their intricacies, struggles, pain, successes and idiosyncrasies.
Bio:
I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University Arts in May 2016 with a BFA in Photography and a Certificate of Product Innovation from the Da Vinci Center. I co-led the senior photography BFA show, "The Fox Behind Our House" in May 2016. I received an award for the Most Outstanding Senior in Photography 2016. My photographs will soon be featured at Nemours Children's Hospital, where my surgeries took place. I strive to encourage children going through similar struggles to use art as an avenue of expression. My work has also been featured in Adah Rose Gallery in Kensington, Maryland, The Anderson Gallery in Richmond, Virginia and literary arts journals such as Medical Literary Messenger and The Tulane Review.