Phobia (2021)
In the final year of my high school's art program, we chose a "concentration" or theme to explore in our artwork. I decided on phobias: uncontrollable, lasting, irrational fear. At first, this involved portraying phobias literally within the artwork (Birthday 95, What Lies Beneath, Nightlight), but later invited the viewer to experience the anxiety themselves (Within, Without) in a more simulating approach. This reflects the complicated nature of phobias with their evolution from childhood fears into larger, more abstract adult anxieties.
Alongside the phobias, I chose to portray the physical and psychological detriments that those who deal with chronic anxiety experience. At times, the visuals are hallucinogenic and uncanny in nature, with the goal of acting as a sympathetic lens connecting the subject the viewer (I Hardly Recognize Myself).
