Protected Vulnerability
In the spring of 2019, I took a course at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London that focused on Zouaq Moroccan pattern-making. The use of geometric patterning found in Moroccan culture spoke to me and triggered a curiosity to see it applied through my western lens.
I have an armor. At times, it’s an impenetrable shield I hide behind to protect myself. At other times it’s porous, transparent without protection. With this exhibition I want to reveal the tenderness behind those shields in an attempt to show what’s hidden.
They say we connect when we share our vulnerabilities with others but I find that I am scared of sharing those vulnerabilities – harboring a fear of getting hurt or shamed for my intense emotions. I find that the older I get, the less shame I feel and the more I want to be vulnerable in front of others.
With this show, I have incorporated elements of the techniques I learned with my own visual language of intricate layers of patterns which reveal and shield simultaneously. In each work, I hope one might meditate on our own Protected Vulnerability.
Learn How to Fall Apart, 36 x 84", Acrylic on linen
Show What's Hidden, 20 x 20", Acrylic on linen
Protection, 12 x 9", Acrylic on linen
The Infrastructure of Beauty I, 84 x 36", Acrylic on linen
Time is an Illusion to Make Sense of the World, 36 x 84", Acrylic on linen
The Infrastructure of Beauty II, 84 x 36", Acrylic on linen
Profound Mystery Forever, 44 x 94", Acrylic on linen
Temescal, 20 x 20", Acrylic on linen
Profound Mystery Forever II, 44 x 94", Acrylic on linen
Heart Shield, 44 x 44", Acrylic on linen
The Love Inside, 17 x 21", Acrylic on linen
Alchemy, 44 x 44", Acrylic on linen
Freedom, 12 x 9", Acrylic on linen
The Lines of Self Defense, 21 x 17", Acrylic on linen
Connection, 12 x 9", Acrylic on linen
Every experience is in us, 24 x 18", Acrylic on linen
One Breath, 24 x 20", Acrylic on linen
By Hurting Me You Gave Me Power, 21 x 17", Acrylic on linen