I am committed to excellence in every aspect of my artistic practice, driven by a deep dedication to exploring and challenging the boundaries of perception and social impact. My mission is to create thought-provoking art that not only reflects but also shapes the complex dynamics of our collective human experience. By merging rigorous craftsmanship with innovative ideas, I strive to inspire meaningful dialogue and transformation.
Black on Black Series
The Black on Black series explores the intricate dynamics of class, race, and identity through an examination of systemic behavior and the consumption and accumulation of ideologies within contemporary American society. Utilizing monochrome as a medium, this series investigates the sublime, drawing on Immanuel Kant’s concept that the immeasurable vastness of the sublime challenges and surpasses individual perception, thereby revealing the diversity within the singularity of black.
In this body of work, the monochromatic black field is employed to symbolize the infinite and the sublime, juxtaposing with the finite and the structured. This approach highlights the duality inherent in human experience and questions traditional notions of identity and systemic structures. Originating during my master's program at Tufts University in conjunction with the School Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the series was distinguished with the Dana Pond Award for painting, a recognition that signifies both artistic excellence and service to the field.
This series serves to critically examine public policy and its impact on perception, inviting viewers to engage with the ideologies that shape our understanding of race and identity. By focusing on monochrome and minimalism, the Black on Black series also reflects a critical examination of the New Realism of the every day, offering a conceptual approach where the artwork emerges from the interplay of ideas rather than traditional artistic techniques.
Signs & Symbols
‘1 out of 5 or 4 out 5’
My piece ‘1 out of 5 or 4 out of 5’ challenges the internet's culture of rapid judgment and the precarious nature of perception, highlighting how good and bad coexist at all times. It critiques the superficiality of online ratings, where opinions are often formed with limited information, leading to potential misinterpretations. I encourage viewers to consider how personal experiences and knowledge—or the lack thereof—shape our judgments. By highlighting the ambiguity between a low and high rating, I underscore the tension between subjective perception and objective reality in the digital age.
‘Amplify’
‘Amplify’ is a vibrant exploration of the intersection between social and financial capital, represented through a rich palette of nearly 70 colors and a complex system of Signs & Symbols. Building on the principles established in ‘Divided We Stand’, this 5’X5’ piece studies the transformative power of networks, where the multiplication symbol becomes a metaphor for converting social connections into financial assets.
In ‘Amplify’, I examine how perception shapes our understanding of these networks and their potential. The work reflects on the duality inherent in navigating both familiar and unfamiliar structures to achieve prosperity as a necessity. The Signs & Symbols used as a visual language underscore this duality, revealing how networks can simultaneously sustain and expand opportunities. By exploring the duality of these systems — how they can be both familiar and enigmatic— ’Amplify’ resonates with the complexities of the contemporary experience, highlighting the nuanced interplay between perception, opportunity, and capital.
This work was a private commission I worked on during my artist residency at Zero Bond in 2020, a private membership club, that features various blue chip artists from Banksy to Francesco Clemente.
‘Divided - We Stand’
In ‘Divided We Stand’, I examine the delicate balance between unity and division, using a diagonal division symbol to bisect the composition. The 86 different colors in the palette, ranging from skin tones to analogous colors, masculine to feminine tones, and complementary hues, serve as a metaphor for the diversity and complexity of our shared human experience. Each color, distinct in its own right, forms part of a harmonious composition, challenging the notion that things that don’t seemingly belong together can’t work in unison. This interplay of contrasts underscores the notion that disparate elements, though seemingly at odds, can coexist and even thrive together. The piece reflects on the paradox of division embodying the checks and balances of opposition and reflecting the duality that underpins our perceptions.
The piece’s imposing scale, at 6 feet by 8 feet, dwarfs the viewer, challenging preconceived perceptions and inviting a more immersive engagement. This monumental size forces the viewer to confront the tension between unity and division on a personal level, emphasizing how disparate elements, though seemingly at odds, can coexist and even thrive together. How separation often reveals underlying connections, and how disparate elements, when viewed together, can create an unexpected and profound sense of balance. This work is a meditation on the possibility of harmony amidst difference, the power of color to transcend boundaries, both literal and figurative, forging unity within diversity.
‘Signs & Symbols’
At Jason Wallace Studio, my "Signs and Symbols" series delves into the intersection of mathematical notation and human geometry, exploring how these symbols act as metaphors for our interactions and perceptions. By integrating mathematical signs into my work, I aim to illuminate the fluidity of human perception and the dynamic nature of our exchanges.
In our daily interactions, there are moments of equal exchange, where information flows seamlessly and individuals stand on equal footing. However, there are also times when the balance shifts and one must strategically position themselves to achieve their goals. This positioning often requires a deep understanding of the dynamics at play and the symbolic language that governs our exchanges.
Through my use of signs and symbols, I explore these shifting dynamics, illustrating how perception can be both fluid and multifaceted. My work captures the essence of human geometry — how our positions and perceptions evolve based on the information we seek and the understanding we need to navigate our interactions. In doing so, I invite viewers to consider how the symbolic language of mathematics can offer insight into the complexities of human relationships and the ever-changing nature of perception.
In conceptual art ideas create art, as opposed to the artist.
Thomas McEvilley in ‘The Exiles Return’ writes, “A sublime art could function in other words, as a channel leading from every day toward the beyond, toward the infinite which is the death of the self and the destruction of the finite universe of form.” In concord, Immanuel Kant wrote the sublime is that which, by its immeasurable vastness and uncompromised otherness, dwarfs and threatens to extinguish the realm of the individual. These concepts both deal with the one within the vastness, and yet the vastness within the one.
My interest in minimalism is obvious in this work through using serial symbols and examining the New Realism of the everyday. The element of the everyday intrudes into the white cube of art with historical reference to Jasper Johns’ target paintings reducing the concept further. Taking away the action of the arrows still in a conversation about the gaming system of competition with a specific objective and using color as a signifier of race allows the viewer to be the movement through questioning and examining closer.
The Life & Luxury Series
The ‘Life & Luxury’ water series delves into the complex symbolism of water as both a fundamental life source and an emblem of privilege. By titling each piece ‘Reflection’, I aim to evoke the literal image of water’s surface while also engaging with a metaphorical reflection on humanity. The physical reflection in water symbolizes purity, clarity, and the fluidity of life, yet the series also calls attention to the ethical and societal implications of water becoming a luxury. These works invite viewers to confront the inequities surrounding access to this essential resource and reflect on our collective responsibility. The ‘Reflection’ is about water’s role in sustaining life and the deeper self-examination required to understand how we, as a society, have allowed a life-giving necessity to be commodified, revealing the disparities that shape our world.
In this series, silver leaf banding serves as a visual metaphor for the disruption caused by industrial metals contaminating the natural flow of water. The silver leaf creates tension within the composition, as it interrupts the organic, fluid nature of the water, forcing the viewer to grapple with the shifting relationship between foreground and background. This visual dissonance mirrors the tension inherent in the water crisis itself, where a life-sustaining resource has been tainted by pollutants, complicating what should be a clear, accessible element of life. The reflective quality of the silver leaf also echoes the series' theme of ‘Reflection’, inviting the viewer to consider both the physical contamination of water and the moral corrosion within society that allows such injustices to persist.