Fairy or folk tales and fantasy appear to be innocuous means of entertainment in contemporary society.  Often relegated as pap for children or the underdeveloped adult, this view belies the gruesome origins, cultural significance, and means of personal expression and identity that is afforded to the author and reader/audience through the construction of fantasies.

Through the creation of written stories, environments and experiences that center on porcelain vessels and sculpture, I engage in dualities that seemingly conflict in my life: the tempering of good & evil, constructs that govern artifice & reality, and striving for & relinquishing control.  Each piece is structured to act as individual narratives operating within the overarching framework of an anthology that operates both through literary text and works of art.  Here, attraction & repulsion, certainty & hesitation are blurred as one navigates the show and is confronted with their own curiosity, nostalgia and desires.  

The theme of fairy and folk tales, long associated in the oral tradition with the domestic, is coupled with motifs in Western culture that are linked to the socio-normative role of the feminine: botanical forms, decorative elements, crafting, prettiness and sweetness.  In Western culture, women in the context of these terms are portrayed as passive objects, lacking in assertion or substance: Artificial Kingdoms draws focus on situations where traditionally feminine signifiers are imbued with agency and empowerment.

            Utilizing original stories alongside physical objects, I create new narratives based on literary tropes intermingled with my personal experiences.  In some cases, I invite the viewer to become a participant, to create their own narrative and obtain a sense of empowerment.  However, they too, must ultimately surrender to the constructs that rule beyond their control.