My Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition Show was displayed in Indiana University's Grunwald Gallery from April 29th to May 4th, 2025. My show consisted of forty digitally designed poster prints hung on a wall of plywood that spanned 8 feet tall and 16 feet across. Each poster lifted an inch from the plywood, elevated its display, and created a sense of depth. I drew inspiration for my thesis work from Project 04, a video project that reflects on growing up and learning to trust yourself, which was displayed to the left of the posters in the gallery. My creativity stems from the human brain and its unique perspective on life, especially its craving for social connection, which gives life deeper significance. My curiosity leads me to question the meaning of existence and synthesize my understanding of life’s complexities. Themes of existence, perspective, connection, identity, structure, and duality are all central to my work, prompting the viewers to reflect on what they prioritize in life as I encourage deeper conversations about these thoughts within the modern world.

The impact of social media and the digital landscape heavily influences my work as I digitally craft self-portrait posters that follow events, feelings, and connections in my life. I investigate how these interactions and connections with people, both physically and digitally, shape one’s sense of self. Particularly stemming from my generation, where social media robbed children of innocence and created a path for conformity and a loss of identity. I explore the magnified insecurities acquired from the digital world through patterns, memory, and structure as an attempt to negate the effects the digital world has created, repairing my connection with the inner child I’ve suppressed. My rebellious use of color, or lack thereof, questions the behaviors and societal norms that arise from the digital age as I seek to distinguish personal freedom, moral complexity, and self-acceptance.

Repetition plays a key role in my work. Much of it is informed by the Social Comparison Theory (1954), which suggests that people are driven to evaluate themselves by comparing their abilities, qualities, and achievements to those of others. While this comparison mechanism serves as a survival function, it also stifles authentic self-expression and limits creative potential. My exploration of these concepts leads me into themes of duality, including the tensions between positives and negatives. My recurring use of organic and stellar figures emphasizes the sense of safety within familiarity. The chaos and sharp pointed edges reveal a more sinister and dangerous nature within the objects. The curved ups and downs represent human life as a continuous cycle of non-linear progression. The tensions within these celestial shapes represent duality in my work, showcasing the humanity of contradiction and struggle. My consistent use of these figures throughout my work further allows the viewer to make connections and understand the complexity of emotion layered within each composition.

I utilize my childlike sense of wonder to keep me grounded as I reimagine moments that shaped who I am. I continue to honor my younger self and aspire to be the person who would ignite the passion within her that was not yet corrupted by the adult world. My work constantly straddles the line of past and present as I continue to realign my identity by contrasting who I was and who I want to be. Each composition holds a memory that was me, is me, and will be my perspective of connections and consciousness. The reimagined events seem to be only a whisper in the wind or a lullaby as you drift off to sleep. A shutter in the distance, and when you blink, it will all disappear, fading into the black, leaving only your mind to recall what had happened.

I find inspiration in M.C. Escher's Angels and Devils print, where pattern and repetition are used to explore the interplay of light and shadow. Additionally, the figure of “Lucifer,” or the “Light-bearer,” plays a significant role in my work. His complexities embody rich mythological, biblical, and literary symbolism. I parallel my ideologies with Lucifer’s narrative, embracing ambiguity to illuminate my authenticity. Through this lens, I explore the tensions between the physical and digital worlds, challenging conformity and questioning identity. These ideas of light and shadow are seen in my installation display as I create space between each composition and the wall behind. This space holds tension as shadows are cast behind each poster and the content is illuminated. The acknowledgment of this space further drives the visual hierarchy and allows for silence to hold a somber connection as if the world is holding its breath between one memory and the next.

By weaving together the Social Comparison Theory, the symbolism of the Light-bearer, and the exploration of patterns, my work delves into themes of obsession, existence, and perspective. All of these ideas strengthen my authentic voice, allowing me to bring the hidden tensions between our inner worlds and external realities into the light.