Part of Group Show "IMMATERIALISM_" at Ithaca College
Handerwerker Gallery, Ithaca NY
May 2024
...
Sometimes growing up feels a bit like playing “pretend adult". To fit in with those around me, I must adjust my character to fulfill my role.
But unlike playing as a child, this sort of playing is not quite as fun or entertaining. So then where can I turn to for happiness?
No matter one’s age, imaginations can transport us from reality into new worlds. For me, the imagination is something vital to securing my comfort and joy. In the face of change, I have been picturing this home. It is not the home I grew up in, nor any home that exists, but rather, an abstracted amalgamation of many houses from my memories. As a kid I always used cardboard, hot glue, and craft paint to build different homes and scenes for my figurines. These materials felt natural to me in creating my imagined house.
But how sustainable is it to forever be in a form of escapism?
It is not possible to live in this pretend home. Besides the prop food and the awkward 3/4 sized furniture, it is lonely to live inside your imagination. Being unwilling to accept change is what keeps us hostage in our roles.
