I Have Been A Mystery to Myself

Solo Show

November 2024 - January 2025

Maine Jewish Museum, Portland, ME

In my first solo exhibition, each garment contains words incorporated into the knitting in different ways: colorwork, duplicate stitch, and painting. In "My Feelings Are All Over My Body", which is reversible, the "back side" is knit inside out, with the inside of the knitting facing out. This obscures and complicates the message embedded in the knitting since the message that expresses what is inside is distortedly shown outside. In all three works, handknit garments are an embodiment of anxiety and dissociation. When viewed not worn, the clothing becomes a vessel for the body and a portal to the self when they feel out of reach.

For most of my life, my feelings have been hidden in my body, confusing and hard to navigate. I wonder: Where do we go when we are dissociated? How do we come into re-alignment with ourselves? With emphasis on garments as simple forms, this work welcomes us back into our bodies. The three pieces aim to locate emotions as a way to ground the self. By being quiet with ourselves and exploring the connections between feelings, the body, and the self, we slowly can make sense of our place in the world.