My work focuses on gender, art, and religion through a feminist perspective. The art grapples with the ideas and misconceptions I have about sexuality, intimacy, and identity. Through ceramics and digital media, I explore and challenge the set of beliefs and expectations I was indoctrinated in with the metaphorical presence of “ghosts.” Ghosts in pop culture, literature, and media have been a topic of interest in our society, representing several ideas depending on the individual. How we interact with a “ghost” or a past version of ourselves determines whether the experience with this memory was positive, neutral, or negative. I delve into the internal struggles stemming from my religious upbringing by manifesting these conflicts through apparitions and whimsical, child-like forms.

Working through the feelings of disgust towards my own body due to religious indoctrination, hypercriticism, and trauma, I create primarily to give myself the voice I never had and normalize experiences or healthy human behaviors that were considered “taboo” throughout my childhood. Catholic ideology views sex as a valid, God-honoring activity only through heterosexual marriage. Much of the discourse involves scrutinizing young women to ensure they uphold the value of purity. Young men, on the other hand, are depicted as sex hungry beasts with no accountability for their appetites who chaste women must tame. These teachings promote harmful rhetoric that shames individuals for their positive or negative experiences. By bringing my own internal battles into a physical realm, I invite viewers to contemplate their own relationships with memory, identity, and the societal constructs that shape us.