My current work considers the use of flowers as a symbol of femininity in popular culture. My approach to making art has varied from color digital photography, black and white analog image making, and more recently, I have introduced the process of book making into my practice as well. My thesis project, Subsumption, is a cumulation of my study of this theme. In the gallery presentation, this project will include 11x14" framed prints along with an 8x10" handbound book. For the online exhibition the project will include images of my book, Subsumé.

Subsumption, meaning to include or absorb (something) in something else, looks at the traditional comparison of women with flowers. Flowers are traditionally seen as decorative, beautiful, and fragile aligned with traditional notions of the female. However, when looked beyond the cultural symbol, flowers are strong and resilient. It is a generalization to assume that this is what femininity means to all women, therefore, a crucial part of my work is translating these ideas through my own personal experience and identity. To me, the comparison of women to flowers fits closely with how I identify to be feminine. For this work, I photographed myself in my domestic space with flowers serving as a trope to further emphasize it is my personal experience and not that of all female-identifying persons.

A key factor in my practice is to depict these performative gestures through the female gaze, as opposed to the more familiar male gaze. While the male gaze seeks to devour, control, and objectify women, the female gaze is thought to represent their own gender with openness, respect, and no strict boundaries. This is not about me performing my feminine identity for the male gaze but for my own pleasure.

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