Description of Work

Anxiety - 2021 - Glass and concrete - $200

Artist's Statement

To protect ourselves, we often keep our struggles silent. We raise our walls high and don’t reach out for help when we need it, because there is a social stigma against doing so. My work shifts the spotlight, allowing it to creep into hidden corners and through the cracks of our walls to the truths hidden within. Through this shift in perspective my work becomes both a personal therapeutic release and an encouragement to others to do the same.

I use glass because it has the ability to take many forms. It can be both light and heavy, transparent and opaque. This contradictory nature of glass has always fascinated me; I feel a kinship with its equal embrace of strength and weakness. This feeling of kinship allows the glass to serve as a surrogate for my body.

The vibrant opaque orange color immediately catches the eye and cannot be easily ignored or hidden away. The rounded glass body rests on the heavy concrete ramp, unanchored. Leaving the piece in a constant state of immediate danger. One cannot help but feel a sense of anxiety knowing that at any moment the piece may slip and shatter against the unforgiving floor. And when that sense of anxiety is felt, the viewer shares, for a moment, an emotional connection with the creator.    

By attempting to translate my physical and mental experiences into a sensory language that can be shared with others, I begin the work of tearing down my walls. Through this act of positive self-destruction, I hope to encourage others to do the same and see the beauty that can unfold.

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)