MassArt x SoWa

My artistic practice is an investigation into the presence of absence, and the varying ways in which those investigations work together to initiate an invitation to the viewer into a third emotional space in which their memories feel vivid and alive. With a heavy influence and inspiration stemming from the raw emotions and constant grief of my late mother, I use

photography to engage with familial spaces, archival objects and clothing to activate a continued bond with her through my artistic practice. Research connected to the impacts of grieving on the brain plays a role in the materiality of my recreations of my photographs of objects and spaces, utilizing wool and felting techniques to create soft, hazy, textured recreations of these objects and spaces, which examines the relearning and recreation of neurological tissue that rebuilds when a connection is severed and removed completely. The ways in which grief presents itself in waves, constantly fluctuating, is another element to the varying iterations of my work. Clear imagery in photography that undergoes a metamorphosis and transforms to a different, distorted version is a commentary on the ways in which familiar objects and places can feel so different and odd in the midst of devastating absence. Bringing the universal emotion of grief to the forefront of the conversation through the interplaying of my processes is an additional layer to the work. I work with my personal grief and emotional responses to create works that help others grieving to feel seen, understood, and less alone. As I relearn my life without my mother in it, I create my relearning of the world around me.

• CARRY/HELD : SUMMER 2026 MFA THESIS