2010-2011  Drawings

2010-2011  [Frenulum] series

Is masculinity rooted in repression?

 I've explored this question through art, looking deeply at my own father as a man whose masculinity and life have been shaped, modified, and, some extend, constrained by his culture and society. My work conveys the ferocious tension inherent in the dual desires of a man to be a dominant sexual competitor vs. a responsible protector, for loved ones. 

 Though I started with classical sculpture, my part-time job at a furniture factory introduced me to welding, woodworking, power tools, and air compressor. My work evolved, through abstraction, to animal forms—as I experimented with textures and applied industrial techniques to achieve my vision. 

 As my questioning grew more open-ended, I explored fusions of diverse media, moving from drawings to reliefs inspired by the frenulum muscle. Eventually, I created a large-scale installation in an abandoned hostess bar, which branched out to include issues of sexuality and power in my works. I incorporated painting, multimedia, and found objects to make spaces live and interact with viewers.