Before We Ever Felt a Thing is a series of multi-sensory, super-sized maximalist heart assemblages that layer fraught personal experiences with broader political concerns. Through form, the work explores the poetics of the body's interior spaces, particularly the heart, commonly thought of as the seat of emotions. At the intersection of emotions and women’s societal issues, physical representations of these ‘issues’ are quite literally overloaded onto and around the heart. The work delves into emotions like anxiety and anger as they intersect with issues of gender, identity, bodily autonomy, disabilities, healthcare, and the environment— themes that reflect my own journey and engage with women’s shared histories, confronting the complex tensions between socially prescribed behaviors and our authentic selves.

Scroll down to see ‘Emotional Rescue’ video.

image credit: Argenis Apolinario