Statement, 2007

My work explores the nature of vulnerability and the boundaries between revelation and concealment. The list of words that define vulnerable: abased, clinging, defenseless, inferior, reliant and weak are words that carry a heavy negative burden. These are states of being that all of nature seeks to avoid. At its most extreme vulnerability equates to death. The opposites of vulnerable-independent, self reliant and strong- are not only words that have been culturally venerated but are also requirements for survival in the natural environment.   In short, our human culture reinforces the animal condition.

I tackle this subject through the perspective of my own experience.   These recent pieces deal directly with failures of the body.   Any failure of the body creates vulnerability: in the animal world these failures are masked by instinctual behavior designed to ward off predators; our social environment encourages similar behavior. The self-reliant individual is autonomous and contained.   Her failures and weaknesses do not spill over into her social interaction.   My current work addresses the state in which this masking is no longer possible, the state in which revelation becomes necessary. I examine the tension created when the psychological need to reveal is countered by the natural desire to conceal; my works teeter on that edge, sometimes divulging, sometimes suppressing information. I utilize elements of abstraction and representation to alternately disclose and obscure meaning.

Text is an important part of this exploration. Words, by their nature, carry meaning. They are the source of sharing information and yet in my works they are also the barrier to that information. This is especially true for the largest piece which is 84"x80" and contains 420 letters without clarifying spaces or punctuation. By removing the spaces and punctuation the text pieces become more obscure. They are decipherable but it requires effort on the part of the viewer. Vulnerability is both shared and withheld.