Artist Statement For the “Perilous Realm” Collage Series. 2012.
My work explores the realm of infinity, where perceptions of what might be considered opposing extremes become a shared reality. I explore a circular world where the future and the present are simultaneous, where a dystopic present and a utopic future exist in one place. The world is populated by anthropomorphic cats where gender, sexuality, and ethnicity are obscured. The focus of exploration in this realm is how these characters cope together in a place which is simultaneously perilous and fertile. Through a series of collages, this world is created, deconstructed, and rebuilt over and over again. In some scenes, a cat who was the central character in a previous scene has been cut up and is now being used as a background texture, referring to the cycle of birth and death. The constantly shifting environment and characters within it create an ongoing dialog of successes and failures of life existing within this realm. The cats who populate this world are both loving and fiercely independent and within these scenes are struggling to grow together to create a more loving and sustainable environment. They work to create a society which is cooperative and mutually beneficial, to make the world around them less perilous anhealthier as a result.