Orectic Appeal I-IV
In the summer of 2017, I returned home to New Orleans from living in Shenzhen, China. I had spent the previous year in a most foreign place and stuck out like a weed in a well-maintained garden. To return to familiarity in the cradle of the Mississippi River felt natural. There was much to unpack, assemble, recollect, and reflect upon.
I spent the next year producing artworks that brought together both places within colorful, ornate, and vibrant still lives. I photographed objects and ephemera that I collected from China alongside those that spoke directly to New Orleans. The dominant color in this series is red, due to its significance in Chinese culture and its connotation of appetite and desire.
The title of this series, Orektikos, Greek for appetite, is etymologically linked to the English word Orectic— of or concerning desire or appetite. With this title, the cliché, 'it's all Greek to me’ may come to mind. Indeed, the title is meant to deepen this sense of foreignness, confounding the viewer to a point of playful ambiguity. Therefore, as a response to xenophobia, my images are meant to provide an escape from any pointed meaning. The images inherent openness help to feel one's capacity to imagine.
I spent the next year producing artworks that brought together both places within colorful, ornate, and vibrant still lives. I photographed objects and ephemera that I collected from China alongside those that spoke directly to New Orleans. The dominant color in this series is red, due to its significance in Chinese culture and its connotation of appetite and desire.
The title of this series, Orektikos, Greek for appetite, is etymologically linked to the English word Orectic— of or concerning desire or appetite. With this title, the cliché, 'it's all Greek to me’ may come to mind. Indeed, the title is meant to deepen this sense of foreignness, confounding the viewer to a point of playful ambiguity. Therefore, as a response to xenophobia, my images are meant to provide an escape from any pointed meaning. The images inherent openness help to feel one's capacity to imagine.
Window Flower I-IX
Red Obsessed
Red Obsessed explores the dominant palette of Orektikos. I chose to work with this color due to its dominance in Chinese culture and its association with western concepts of appetite, desire, and danger.
Ingredients
Within the mini series, Ingredients, the elemental components of Orektikos are depicted. These components or ingredients were collected and saved from being discarded. I chose to work with food remnants along side ornamental materials to compress the distinction between beauty, nature, and refuse.