Thoughts for Today...: So it's a surreal feeling.

Completely. I don't really know how to feel about it all. My senior exhibition-- the one that we so tirelessly stressed out over throughout this entire semester-- has come to a close. 5 in 4 had it's opening reception last Friday. That's it. I'm done.

Like I said... Surreal.

Here is a copy of my artist statement that I used for the show:

I’m interested in people— in race, nationality, gender, age, belief systems, etc. and how all of these things can affect and dictate human behaviors and interactions. And how our impressions of others can be altered based upon any given situation.

This particular body of work is a personal exploration and attempt at understanding humans and the reasons we act and react with violence. I’ve begun questioning the role of violence. Is it senseless? Or is it unfortunate means to a more promising end? It’s an ongoing internal debate.

The toy soldiers are motifs in my work that have constantly evolved over the years as I continue to explore the possibilities they seem to offer. The earliest works were simple still lives meant to highlight the interchangeability of these figurines and human beings, making parallels between staged battle scenes and real life war. Then I began to contextualize these battle scenes by superimposing them onto newspaper articles and current events. Most recently, I have begun to move away from the actual toy figurine and started developing this concept of a toy soldier shell. This is a shell that can envelop a person and ultimately turn them into these lifeless plastic toys. Conversely, when you pull away bits and pieces you are revealing the human being beneath the shell.

The majority of my work in this exhibition is informed by the ongoing conflicts in Northern Africa and the Middle East.