My work uses the language of thick oil paint to describe the visceral and fleshy qualities of exposed, neglected, discarded, and partially consumed fruit as a representation of the vulnerable and uncontrollable physicality of the human body. As a human, it can often feel that your body is an external object that is not within your control; that your physical being is a prison or an enemy that is unpredictable and susceptible to outside forces of objectification, deception, and dysfunction. Fruit is often used in connection, spanning back to biblical times, with women, their sins, and sexuality, as well as their ability to produce life. The term fleshy is used to describe fruit and the human body, often women’s bodies, which are deemed “soft and thick” just like the tissue of a fruit.

The work manifested through my own experiences with trauma and chronic pain. It is through these internal struggles that I connect to larger societal issues about the way we treat bodies in the world.