One’s sense of self is an integral component of one’s identity.  My own sense of self is greatly affected by the intersections between how I see myself (as a female, a student, a daughter, a bulimic, an artist) and how others see me.  I create a variety of self-portraits that illustrate the tensions and complexities of those intersections.  Some portraits present photographs of myself taken by others, accompanied by words spoken by others and internalized by me.  Other portraits show more stylized, general figures; these function as self-portraits that are more immediately accessible to the viewer, self-portraits in which the subject possesses a universality of character.  The fact that each self-portrait is a genuine embodiment of my sense of self unifies the diverse individual images to create one large, comprehensive self-portrait.

I arrange my self-portraits in a grid to encourage juxtaposition.  I want the viewer to look at each individual portrait, then look at the comprehensive self-portrait, and begin to access the thoughts, feelings, experiences, and memories that shape my sense of self.  I intend for the diversity of the works to enable the viewer to position their self in the work and reflect upon their own sense of self and the elements that influence it.  Ultimately, I want the viewer to experience a sense of empowerment in the possibilities available for them to author their own identity, an experience I myself had and continue to have through my creation of self-portraits.  Through exposing my core sense of self in such a range of self-portraits, I reinforce my belief that I ultimately make me who I am.