Don’t Forget to lock the door!

My current body of work centers on the navigation of transitional spaces—both physical and psychological. This semester, I delved into how new environments are formed through the residue of the past, exploring how memory, aspiration, and daily life intertwine to shape the spaces we occupy. At the heart of this exploration is the china cabinet: a fixture traditionally situated in seldom-used dining rooms, often doubling as a symbol of prestige and curated domesticity.

In my work, the china cabinet becomes a metaphor for inherited ideals and the slow erosion of their meaning over time. Originally acquired as a status symbol, my version of the cabinet has evolved into a vessel for storing the mundane. Its contents—meant to resemble fine china—are intentionally crude, with chipped edges, cracks, and rough surfaces. These flawed replicas echo the imperfections in our attempts to project order, accomplishment, and permanence.

As the viewer’s gaze moves downward through the cabinet, the illusion of refinement continues to unravel. Odd and misplaced objects clutter the lower shelves—each one placed with the fleeting intention of later organization, which never comes to pass. Dust settles in the gaps, marking the passage of time and the quiet resignation to disorder. This accumulation mirrors the subconscious clutter that builds when one struggles to maintain appearances while grappling with internal doubts.

This piece is, ultimately, an intimate investigation into the experience of imposter syndrome—the feeling of being misaligned with one’s perceived identity or success. Through the tactile language of domestic space and inherited forms, I question the weight of expectation and the quiet, chaotic truth that lies beneath polished surfaces.

China Case

Found China case, glazed porcelain, oil paint, cinder blocks, concrete, electric cords, found lace table runner

2025

Cyanotype Flag 

found rusty pipe, cyanotype on cotton, fishing line

2025

Memories to keep me warm

4x6 photographs, jump rings, cotton, poly fill, found mattress

2025

I Am Completely Unqualified to Build a House

image transfer, cyanotype and ceramic on fence post fragment

2025

stick house

concrete and found sticks

2025

My Father’s Headstone

photo transfer on brick

2025

The Flowers I got for you 

image transfer on found PVC and fresh cut flowers

2025

Help Yourself!

Family photographs, personal notes and letters on fridge

2025

Don’t Forget to Lock the Door posters, 2025

This piece was born out of a desire to move from object based making into the installation realm. I challenged myself to make a project with no fabrication requirements so the entire piece hinges on the way it was installed. I used natural material because I wanted to created a fragmented forest space indoors. For this, the obvious choice was tree branches, dirt and leaves. Originally, this piece didn’t have meaning, but once I began installing, it became about the tension between two different chapters in life, the liminal space created there, as well as the ability to see something materializing that is not fully rendered yet. The process was long and arduous. Originally, I had help installing, but once I was alone, it became a private performance of spirituality and communication with the subconscious. The dirt on the walls was applied in a dance wherein I reflected on my journey through school thus far, plagued by issues that caused me to have to leave school several times to focus on my health. I am occupying the tense space between this era and the next, very much dragging myself toward the finish line, and watching the next era materialize.

This piece explores the idea of creating your own space for yourself. I was inspired by 2 photographs, one was taken by me this summer. It features some stick structures I found on a beach in Italy. It was interesting to see those structures, new and fragile, alongside all the ancient architecture in Venice. The second photograph was taken by my father, it is a view of the framework of the house we moved to when my family came to Texas, construction material strewn about. I thought about my father immigrating to this country and building this life from the ground up. I’m thinking a lot lately about how as a young adult I am building my life, and I am a pattern repeating those who came before me, over and over and over.