I explore the expectations and ideals of gender, beauty, and sexuality in contemporary American culture. Using a hybrid of bestial forms and human emotion, I examine the deeper psychological strain placed on individuals in a culture built upon self-exploitation and media obsession. Monstrous creatures emerge from the humanization of animal figures, reflecting characteristics of surrealist horror films and literature. The features of the beasts become mutated until there is no way of knowing how much the creatures have or have not been altered, parallelling the obscured effects of idealized gender roles. Through the use of  traditional clay sculpting and inorganic, commercially used materials such as resin and newspaper, I highlight how modern society paradoxically praises, yet condemns popular norms and traditions.

It is difficult for individuals to recognize the true extent of what is expected of them when many widespread ideals have been deeply institutionalized. I create monstrous amalgamations that bridge the gap between the visceral and the physical, presenting the complex spectrum of imagined expectation and actual reality. By embedding human emotion into bestial forms, I confront viewers with the grotesque and inhumane implications of modern gender standards.