Your Ocean is on Fire

“Your Ocean is on Fire” is a collection of portraits and letters addressed to “you”. “You” embodies individuals, ideas, and entities that have circled around my mind again and again. I use food, meridians, and zodiacs as silly yet meaningful symbols connected to “you”. Through this process, I reflect on objectification, ownership, and identity. As I navigate experiences I can’t catch up to, I look for solace and clarity in creating. As I exist in situations that can't provide me space, I attempted to create that space in these paintings. What I couldn’t say to “you”, I say here in these letters. In this work, I return to my discomfort with cycles of emotions, seasons, relationships, and stagnation. 

This exhibition was partially funded by South Arts through the Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant.

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Photo by Danny Peña

Your Ocean is on Fire

48 x 78 inches, oil on aluminum, 2024