The(ir) Art of Loving
When I started this project, my goal was to capture and convey my passion for connection through my work, making sure that this emotional connection could be felt by anyone, even strangers experiencing my story. I believed that if my feelings were genuine enough, they would resonate with people who were essentially observers of my narrative. I achieved this by creatively working with common 2X4 pine studs, breaking them apart, and manipulating construction codes. This allowed me to change the supporting structures that define space, playing with scale and using the lumber itself as a drawing medium. Additionally, I used wax paper as a canvas, a material that usually adds depth to wood. By making the images visible through transparent mediums, I crafted a complex space where drawing and framing interact. The artwork situates the viewer between the two sides of a bathroom's architectural structure, presenting elusive and abstract content. This creates a new space that doesn't follow a predictable order. Drawing inspiration from traditional stud wall forms, I constructed cabinets and drawers as containers for memories to unfold. By bending building codes and standards, a sense of queerness emerges, disconnecting the viewer from the space's intended function and prompting them to consider its history instead. The bathroom, a space associated with the breakdown of intimacy, transforms into a place for the viewer to experience love in their presence. As they walk through, adjusting their body in response to the artwork, and filling in the gaps with their own perspectives, I invite them to actively participate in the shared act of reception.
