Lives / works between Brooklyn and Mae Wang, Thailand

My work uses subversive, colorfully patterned objects and maximalist installations to critique state-sanctioned violence in the US. Whether machine-tufted rugs, wallpaper, flocked architectural models, works on paper or printed publications, my interdisciplinary practice employs commercial design language to subvert politically charged content—ideally creating a viewer’s experience that toggles between aesthetic desire and ethical conflict. I want the audience to want the work before they can intellectualize its meaning. My practice is deeply research-based—often incorporating appropriated archival materials—to explore forgotten or intentionally obfuscated histories of institutional violence in the US.

As a guiding principle for my research, I am interested in Judith Butler’s concept of “grievability” from her work Frames of War. The text explores how (and whose) bodies become “ungrievable” in dominant power structures. I am particularly interested in the role of ideology, consumerism and privilege to distract certain communities from violences which are deeply felt by others.

While my work explores US state-sanctioned violence, the genesis for my interest in this conceptual issue began with my anti-trafficking work in Thailand. In 2011 I co-founded the anti-human trafficking, women’s empowerment NGO Daughters Rising that works with ethnic minorities and Burmese refugees in Chiang Mai. While this project is distinct from my artistic practice, it has deeply affected how and why I choose to make art. Though the US and Thailand are vastly different, the corporate corruption, xenophobia, racism and classism that becomes baked into government structures, educational systems and media in both countries have striking parallels. Through my ongoing work with stateless refugees I recognize that structures of power which perpetuate inequality within the US and Thailand operate largely the same. It therefore became a goal within my art practice to expose these structures of exploitation within the US such that the viewer is forced to reckon with this content.