Fluid

Multimedia video installation 
Center for Creative Photography, Tucson AZ. 
2025

Artist statement

In "Fluid", I have created floating portals that act as windows into the swirling, surreal landscape of my interiority. Size and scale become irrelevant and the composition shifts as the viewer moves. Imagery and meaning bend depending on perspective. I created Fluid as a self portrait: I am fluid in body, fluid in identity.

The need to belong to the group is one of our strongest early survival mechanisms. In my life, that need often took precedence over a connection with myself. Social and familial structures dictated who I should be, but my true nature existed outside of those boundaries. I feared how I didn’t fit in. I learned to mask my nature, even from myself. It is a work in progress as I reclaim parts of me that I obscured along the way. I continue to piece together my identity, seeking a more fluid expression of existence and reclaiming the scattered fragments of my internal world.

These themes of fragmentation and reclamation appear in my artwork as I layer the content; taking apart, putting back together, reconfiguring elements into something altogether new. I am drawn to imagery that shifts in meaning depending on its framing. Through mixing, and remixing, I transform disparate pieces into a whole that is not fragmented, but fluid, mutable, and resilient. This dynamic, process-driven approach is central to my exploration of personal and collective identity.

Fluid reflects my permeability and vulnerability as well as my search for transformation and empowerment. It expands the visual dialogue on binary views and neurotypical assumptions. Fluid invites the viewer into a space of wonder and curiosity, where introspection softens rigid boundaries and redefines belonging. The work seeks to inspire connection by dissolving expectations and making way for fearless exploration. 

Links to articles:

UA MFA Thesis Exhibition Showcase  

Interview with Center for Creative Photography