ARTIST STATEMENT

I feel that objects convey memories of their experiences. By blending vintage female mannequins, gum ball machines, alarm clocks, and other found nostalgic elements, I tell nuanced stories of infertility, assisted reproduction, and medicalized birth. Mannequins are exposed, posed, and touched by strangers. Vintage gum ball machines inserted as wombs represent anticipation and joy from a child’s perspective, but also dehumanization and impersonal transaction from the womb’s point of view. Each mannequin, a unique canvas, conveys a raw snapshot along this journey through bizarre imagery and symbolism. The pieces address bodily autonomy, expectations, and cultural pressures relating to motherhoodI hope to grow empathy and increase collective sensitivity toward these often very private topics through conversation and reflection.