Something Familiar, 2021
The majority of the work in this exhibition was made from the comfort of my bed, huddled
under blankets while mining the internet for Etsy retailers, royalty free content, 3D models,
information, misinformation, film, poetry generators, and pornography. There’s something
thrilling but filthy about these adventures, like thrifting at the bins or a late night Tinder hookup.
It’s all about looking and noticing.
Noticing is important to the work. Noticing something in my peripheral- something odd,
something familiar, something uncomfortable that says “use me”. Like a parasite I latch on and
absorb. I absorb its imagery, its text, its content, anything it has to offer.
There is a seemingly constant, never ending production of images and objects. Anything
your heart desires can be found with little effort on the internet. So why not devour what is
already there? What is the value in making images or objects myself when they already exist;
when it’s all right there just waiting to be screen shot?
Not only is there an endless production of images but there are an infinite number of
customization companies and Etsy shops that will slap virtually anything on to a garment,
necklace, or fabric asking only if you would like velvet or lace, or what font you would prefer. I
love this. Latching onto little systems like these and using them to produce artwork.
The resulting work is often a remixing of the content that was mined and the objects that
surround me; often calling into question our relationship with media, mass production, cultural
morals and values, sexuality, and the passing of time.