Artist Statement

As an homage to every woman in the workplace and in the world, No is about rejecting the knee-jerk reaction to be a people pleaser at the expense of our personal boundaries. The expectation to be accomodating is overpowering, and the glitch effects within these portraits exemplifies the anxiety that rips through us when presented with the need to hold space for ourselves, even when it’s inconvenient. Alarmingly bright colors and free-flowing rivers of ink nod at the pressure of decision-making in these situations and the feeling of losing control at any moment. The act of saying ‘no’ is powerful and complex, bold and freeing, riddled with anxiety but representing the paragon of self-care in a world that glamorizes things that feel good.