The Earth You Are

I’ve always had a deep reverence for the past. For me, calling back to historical painting is a way of keeping the conversation with our forebears alive and evolving. The stories, motifs, and allegories passed down through centuries continue to echo in the modern zeitgeist, despite any attempts to shake them off.

Art is often created as a means to subvert, satirize, or reject what has come before, under the assumption that starting from a blank slate is not only possible but ideal. In contrast, I believe our bodies, minds, spirits, and instincts are more ancient than we imagine—and that they quietly shape us, whether we recognize it or not.

In this painting, I introduce figures suspended in a dreamlike void of possibility. A ghost—perhaps a reflection of the past self—emerges from behind the central figure, reminding us of the histories, multiplicities, and contradictions that shape who we are.