Front Yard Party

 

The installation considers the layered complexities of suburban life. Focusing on the duality of longing and achieving, the work explores the emotional struggles tied to societal expectations and how this affects growing up with idealization. Pulling from childhood feelings of jealousy towards traditional American homes, the installation contrasts idealized concepts of stability and comfort with personal expectations of what a home should be. Using artificial grass as a visual tool to manipulate lawn ornaments (such as a lawn chair, bird bath, umbrella, white picket fence, flamingos, a child’s swimming pool, etc.), an identity of concealment and disguised truth emerges from the installation. To create an immersive visual experience, the Underdonk gallery floor will be completely covered in planting mix and mulch. In order to juxtapose the monochromatic turf-covered lawn ornaments, living flowers will be planted throughout the installation. The gradual decay of these florals reflects the tension of self-preservation, how comparison influences identity, and how the environment shifts the perception of family and self-value. 

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Shown at Wild Goose Creative March 2025