The strengths and weaknesses of an individual are made immediately obvious to that individual in the face of trauma. “In Repair”, is a self-depiction that questions whether or not we let our scars define who we are. Pain can lead to strength and it can also create weakness within. Experiencing personal trauma can literally or emotionally knock a person down. In the wake of trauma, that person has a choice to make: to either pick themselves up and keep going or stay down and let the experience inwardly consume them. Getting up after falling so many times is exhausting, it’s weakening to the emotional and psychological state of mind. The susceptibility of falling can cause breakage in need of repair.  The act of dropping something fragile that results in shattering, acts as symbolism to what can happen to the human body. My forms resemble the human body by their large scale, curvaceous form, and functional characteristics.

The cracks in this work are expressed by bold scars, that can’t be hidden by a façade. The vessels are intentionally broken and mended back together by a Japanese method of repair called Kintsugi.  This act of causing purposeful breakage references the vulnerability of the human body. The veins of the work mark reassembly, and are highlighted by gold, silver or pearl powders to give a sense a visual history to each individual piece.

As humans, we often mask traumatic experiences by a façade, either by facial expression or personality characteristics. Emotional scars tend to be concealed, whereas physical scars are on the surface and deliberately masked by a façade. Scars invite the attribution of a story, but often can be perceived differently and fabricated by the perception of the outside world, often a false one to the person that they are on. Pain can be overcome but often time damage cannot, and that psychological change is neither good nor bad. Sometimes wounds are irreparable, though strength comes from the experiences behind each wound, the weakness comes from the defining aspects and repercussions of our scars.