Advanced Fiber Studio (Highlights)
It seems my life has been a constant dichotomy. Father versus daugher, science versus art. Growing up with my father has been a ceaseless struggle. He invariably pushed me toward science and medicine. I strove for art and creation. In my recent work, I am trying to combine these two elements. I have given considerate attention to the differences between myself and my father, artist and orthopedist, patient and doctor. We both have stitching techniques in common. I mend cloth; he mends bones. In these beaded models, I am affixing our two professions together, so that the line between artist and doctor is blurred.
Aside from my family background, these sculptures also capture the tension between Catholicism and Vodooism. Catholic churches house the bones of saints. Vodoo depicts saints with beads and sequins. These sculptures also refer to the ultimate dichotomy of life and death. Bones give structure and strength in life, yet they are evidence of decay in death. Father verses daughter; science versus art; Catholicism versus Vodouism; life verses death. With these beaded bones, I construct the fetish for these opposing distinctions.