The idea of family leaves me feeling out of place, uncomfortable, and angry. This body of work is a reflection of my associations and feelings about the idea of home. I grew up in a complicated household which left me feeling out of place. This difficult experience left me with inner turmoil about my feelings for my family. Love, anger, sadness, and happiness all existing in the same place. Despite this, there are moments and situations where I feel completely loved and seen by my family which makes it difficult to see them in a completely negative light. These pieces represent the many emotional layers that make up my family and my attempt to navigate my own story.

 

The moment when I feel most loved by my family are when I am baking. Baking has always been a passion of mine and it is one that my family celebrates. During holidays I am the designated dessert maker and it brings me joy to make a contribution to the family and to be celebrated. The kitchen has become synonymous with good memories and I wanted to represent that familial aspect by using kitchen imagery. Nurture and nourishment are represented by the spoon. The spoon is a vessel that carries the physical act of love, baking, to my family and connects us together. My mom has taught me everything I know in the kitchen and it is one of our passions that bring us together, a language we both share.

 

This body of work seeks a more nuanced discussion about family, memory, love, and home. There are layers to relationships that usually make black and white declarations only a piece of the truth while the grey areas in between are more genuine. I am sorting through my memories and experiences while trying to figure out what home means to me. The home I grew up in is not the home I want to make. There are not any definitive answers, however, my art acts as a quest for understanding of the ones I call family and the place I call home.