Artist Statement

In Take A Piece, I merged my personal experience of growing up in the Southern United States and the social implications of the pornography and sexual imagery found in modern day advertising. The forms, patterns, and materials I use are based on Southern tradition and domestic decoration. The textiles I use are an important part of the life of my community and have had an impact on my idea of domestic space. Even in the current time, women are still seen as being tied to the domestic environment through interior decoration. My work treads a fine line between fashion and art and is also influenced by architecture, furniture, and my cultural identity. I invite viewers to interact with my work and then evaluate their reaction to it. Each piece explores the relationship between architecture, domestic space, furniture, and sexuality. The gaze between man and woman becomes a performance, although separate from the vehicle facilitating this experience. This gaze often leaves the woman as an object of desire. However, the interaction creates a power struggle between the viewer and the model wearing each piece of sculpture. To create the space for this struggle of domination and power in Take A Piece, I set up the installation in such a way as to gradually disarm the viewer. Upon first glance, the viewer will notice the dress and then the doors of the structures inside of which I place a sweet. The formation and the order of women was planned to condition or encourage the viewer to ignore the human inside the architectural structure and to partake in a whimsical but sexually charged experience. This experience suggests paths for introspective inquiry into our societies' view of sexuality.