My exact subject shifts and eludes my grasp every time I define it in language; but I am constantly examining themes of trauma, violence and mourning. I attempt to show the effects of these intangible thoughts and represent them through poetic visual means. The work is a meditation on the act of bearing witness; it alludes to a violent act, but there is an emphasis within the work on understatement. My interest in making work about my personal identity, childhood and history, about being a displaced citizen, all relate to what I would describe as a state of mourning.

The act of mourning reveals what is important to our understanding of who we are. It highlights the ties we have with other people - ties that in the words of Judith Butler 'constitute who we are, ties and bonds that compose us' (2004: 22). So when these ties are broken and disrupted we question who we are and what we should do next. It is this state of questioning, of feeling vulnerable and exposed, that embodies the process of mourning that I am trying to communicate through my art making practice. My artwork is always about trying to create an object which connects with that desire to capture the indescribable, that which eludes the grasp of language.
I hope to tease out the memories and 'bonds that compose us' as individuals - as well as mirror those shared memories that exist within a wider community. I know I can never catch them, but I hope that if I dangle my leg over the side of my bed the monster will bite.

Butler, J. “Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence” (London: Verso 2004)