EXHIBITION STATEMENT

THREE HAIL MARYS, TWO OUR FATHERS

I lied at my first confession.

Bored in weekly sermons and trips to holy sanctuaries, I often found myself distracted by over- the-top ornamentation and violent imagery; it was both divine and unsettling. Religious icons in and out of my home became constant reminders of morality, pain and the grotesque.

In this body of work, I use texts to reveal personal confessions that imply shame. Hand-drawn images and the printed word serve as a biographical narrative, which document what I suppressed living in a conservative Catholic family. The “front” I carried became a way for me to conceal what I perceived then as a hypocritical household.

In this expansive collection of objects and icons, I have created a shrine-like space, which is simultaneously alluring and disturbing. My intention is to convey the unease between purity, seduction and evil. Intricate drawings, repetition and pattern have become rituals in my process, which allude to the monotony of mundane rituals that occur in worship. Gaudy religious icons, which were once dull, have been heavily accessorized with “bling” in an attempt to make the object more interesting. They hint at the mass production of holy celebrities in order to sell faith.

Although I feel reverence for these religious icons, I question my faith because I have no remorse for my actions and my sins. By revealing my personal confessions, I hope to confront myself with truth and disclose the discomfort in trying to balance religious beliefs and actions in every day life.

Exhibitions:

YLA 23: Beyond Walls, Between Gates, Under Bridges , Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX 2018
Three Hail Marys, Two Our Fathers, Provenance Gallery, San Antonio, TX 2017
My First Confession, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ, 2014