My art practice is motivated by my distrust of myself. This distrust stems from seeing myself as a vehicle for institutional influences. Throughout my life, I have been keenly aware of how institutions affect the trajectory of the people around me. Whether it’s with friends or family, I always sensed the inevitable tragedy of our lives converging or diverging due to our associated political, educational, or professional institutions. I do not attempt to critique or supplant existing institutions, but instead contend with what is implicated, is unseen, or is made inconceivable when my existence and desires are contained within an establishment, system, or convention.
This examination takes the form of paintings and, on occasion, conceptual sculptures. I view art-making, especially painting, as the main manifestation of my institutional influences. The scale and secluded nature of paintings give the painter the illusion of total control and extract the painter’s autocratic instincts. I choose to explore this medium in order to challenge these instincts and root out the institutional sources of my artistic taste. Through the process of constant questioning of the imagery that I romanticize, I make work that traces the background noise that permeates my everyday.