ARTIST STATEMENT
Emergence evokes both feelings of curiosity and grotesque, as the viewer is invited into a sensory space filled with fluorescent light, eerie shadows and surreal sculptures - a physical representation of mental illness within the human mind, where the formation of something growing is beginning to emerge from the cracks. Reminiscent of specimens under a microscope, abstract neon forms dangle over shelf ledges and appear almost alive; like foreign ‘growths’ invading the space. Connected by an entanglement of black wool, the sculptures are symbolic of the way in which mental illness has the ability to fester in the darkest corners of one’s mind.
ARTWORK PROCESS
My body of work explores alternate representations of ‘mental illness’ through a contemporary and cultural context. Influenced by scientific research and perspectives, my interest in the abnormality and growth (both in an individual's mind and within society as a whole) of mental illnesses lead me to question to what extent mental illness is biological or a product of one’s environment? The installation is comprised of three abstract sculptures - constructed using foam fill and neon spray paint. The sculptures are visually connected by loosely crocheted black webs. Florescent lighting accentuates the texture of the materials and creates eerie shadows.
