Greetings from...

Greetings from... is a reflection of my roots in the tropical vacationland of Florida, a place for which I feel both nostalgic and conflicted. Growing up in southern tourist destinations, I was confronted daily with the extreme contrasts of living in paradise. In my artwork, I am translating the cacophony of Florida through the lens of materiality. By re-configuring commodified objects of the tourism industry, the sculptural works in this show exhibit my consideration for the paradoxical relationships that exist between materials and place. Much like the avant-garde Surrealist object, or the assemblage of found materials in provocative combinations that challenged reason, I am interested in drawing parallels between the irrational juxtaposition of objects and ideas. My research is relevant within the context of contemporary artists like Elizabeth Turk, Maurizio Cattelan, and Tara Donovan who are creating politically and socially engaged art, critically exploring concepts of materiality, and reinterpreting traditional craft techniques and processes. Greetings from… explores the realities and misperceptions we all associate with the Sunshine State, and in doing so, has allowed me to dig deeper into my personal history with a place