Artist Statement

"I was permitted to be an image but not an image-maker creating her own self-image." –Carolee Schneemann

“Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” –John Berger

Sexuality is public; it is tight shorts, sculpted jaws, lace camis, leather pumps, and pecs peeking through a worn tee shirt. Sex is private; intimacy between partners, viewing pornography, texting dirty messages, and masturbation. One is flirty. One is shameful. My work is an exploration of sexuality, pop culture, and womanhood. Using photography and video I look at vulva decorations, the lives of sex workers, and how one learns gender in three different bodies of work. 

In my Vajazzle series, I look at the trend of bedazzling your vulva that sadly never took off. In these works, I construct compositions on my own vulva. The compositions are assembled with spirit gum, scrapbook supplies, and any small materials that can be found in craft stores. The photographs which document each application use humor but serve as a celebration of the idea of self-decoration. If one can tattoo, wear makeup, or dye their hair, why can’t they add rhinestones to their vulva? The loving photographs, fiber works, and digital game installations have inspiration from politics, fashion and animated GIFs from the early 2000s. 

Working in the pornography industry after graduate school I was afforded the opportunity to attend conventions as a perk to photo editing and content managing. The main goal of these conventions is networking with other companies. I found myself networking with models, making friends with sex workers and joining their community. I identified with the models who were producing their own content while being the star of it. While attending one of these conventions, SESTA and FOSTA passed, threatening the lives of my friends. Their already stigmatized profession became banned across multiple platforms, making it difficult to screen clients, advertise, and promote community against a profession that can be isolating. I photograph sex workers in an attempt to de-stigmatize their professions and humanize them to those who have a “vanilla” lifestyle. Borrowing from family photography, I create environmental portraits of sex workers promoting their online business, filming content, and simply existing in their space. 

Lastly, I look at how sexuality and gender are learned and expressed through a character named, Sparkle Baby. Sparkle Baby is either a tween, teen, or young adult, expressing herself through pop culture, shiny objects, and insecurity. This exploration of the shifting boundary of girlhood and womanhood allows me to live out my own adolescence and young adulthood, and examine those moments. She an anxious, a doormat, and strives for friendships and acceptance. Sparkle Baby’s existence is an exaggerated reimagining of my diaries and blog entries from my adolescence.