statement

In my work, I delve into ideas enveloped within nostalgia, time, and aging through different approaches in the usage of light and atmosphere. I focus on activating an image with the captivation of a "presence:" a feeling of existence and an evocative sense that there is a deeper understanding to explore. Whether that is through an extraction of a clearly rendered portrait of a hushed, softened withdrawal of a figure into a space, I urge viewers to contemplate the connections lying beyond the portrayals of a face or a figure.

The ideas mentioned before is the process in which I explore the notion of family. My work redefines this term, often overlooked as simply blood ties, by framing it through my own personal experiences and perspectives. My recent work is fueled by the emotionally distant relationship I have had with my immediate family for most of my life, and stems from a yearning for a more complete understanding of what a "happy family" truly is. Confronting issues of unfamiliarity, generational gaps, memory, and the sense of loss, my work addresses the inhibited narratives of the person behind the portrait, creating a juxtaposition between the work itself and the obscurity of reminiscence and remembrance.

bio

born: 1991, Pleasanton, California

selected awards/honors

Outstanding New Artist Awards, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2010

selected publications

Creative Quarterly 25, 2011

selected group shows

Nippon Steel Offices: Nippon Steel Exhibitions I and II, Chicago, IL, 2011-2012
33 Contemporary Gallery at the Zhou B. Art Center: 7th Annual National Self-Portrait Exhibition, Chicago, IL, 2011
International Gallery of Portrait: INTERBIFEP International Biennial Festival of Portrait, Tuzla, Bosna i Herzegovina, 2011
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Columbus Drive Building: ArtBash, Chicago, IL, 2010