My practice is rooted in a deliberate tension between aesthetic pleasure and intellectual critique. Utilizing a “sweet style with a salty subtext,” my work functions as a visual Trojan Horse. By employing a decorative style—often historically dismissed as merely ornamental, I lure the viewer into a space of comfort before confronting them with complexities of social and cultural reality.
My approach consciously subverts the traditional hierarchy of art. By embedding profound social philosophy within patterns through symbols, I elevate “Decorative Art” to a vehicle for big ideas, challenging the notion that beauty and intellect are mutually exclusive. Furthermore, by placing commentaries within a decorative framework, my work suggests that global issues such as politics, technology, and the environment, inevitably seep into our most private, domestic spaces. No environment is truly neutral; the “mask” of civility is often rendered in symmetrical, golden order.
My conceptual framework extends into public art through site-specific interventions; exemplified by my 2020 Lincoln Road windows (Miami Beach), where I transformed 24 vacant storefronts with unique wallpaper installations, turning the liminal spaces of the pandemic into a platform for visual storytelling. My commitment to documenting social histories is further seen in my “Seen the Queen?” street art collages, which utilize ornamental motifs to honor the drag culture of Miami.
My work is represented in private and permanent collections, including Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum and Coral Gables Museum. I collaborate with institutions including the Miami City Ballet, Oolite Arts, Lincoln Road Improvement District and Timeout.