Mommy, what is this?, 2019
Exhibition History
Artist Studio Building Lobby, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA, 2021
Photography & Politics, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY, 2019, juried by Stephanie Mercedes. Best in Show Award (Press Release Here)
Point of Contact, MFA in Photography and Related Media Thesis Show, William Harris Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 2019
Tipping Points, SPE Northeast Juried Exhibition, Palmer Gallery Vassar College, New Paltz, NY, 2018, Juried by Paul Mpagi Sepuya
work INFORMATION
Many of my works are a result of my concerns as a mother. In “Mommy, what is this?” (2018), my son holds a fake bullet while making a sign with his hand. The sign could be thought of as a V for victory or the peace sign, but the presence of ammunition might make the viewer ask, “at what cost?” The 16 x 20 inches transparency is better appreciated in a light box designed for advertising purposes, I intend for the work to feel promotional and propagandist. The bright backlit light box also highlights the illusory bullet. The plastic seam can be seen clearly in the image. I want people to consider whether laws are actually protecting them, or not. While in the state of New York there is legislation that does not allow fake weapons to appear real (i.e., it is against the law for stores to sell black replicas of handguns) the irony is that most states make it possible for an 18-year-old to buy an AR-15 rifle.