About "Catching Ghosts"

Catching Ghosts is a series of wall reliefs begun in 2020 that depict composites of divergent historical, religious, and ritual objects that span the globe, from African, Roman, Germanic, Islamic, Native American and other cultures. They are fabricated from lengths of cylindrical foam adhered to rigid foam backing that is reinforced with fiberglass and resin. The reliefs achieve their rich patina from casein, a medium made from milk protein with 11th-century origins.

Several of these works are a visual exploration of Jungian archetypes. According to Jung, the anima/animus represents the "true self" rather than the image we project into the world, serving as the primary source of communication with the collective unconscious. The work Catching Ghosts: Anima/Animus is a composite of a Roman theatrical helmet and a female Ekoi headdress. The gladiatorial helmet, while masculine in appearance, is submissive in its thespian nature when conjoined to the powerful, feminine Ekoi figure. 

Catching Ghosts: Simorgh is a reimagined version of the Simorgh, a mythical bird-like beast from the 12th-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds, written by Farid ud-Din Attar. Each bird in attendance of the conference represents some human fault, or rather, the obstacles preventing one’s achievement of true enlightenment. The birds eventually set out to discover the Simorgh. In their quest, many perish. In the end, the thirty birds who finally reach the Simorgh realize that collectively, they are, in fact, the Simorgh. This interpretation of the legendary creature is a sculptural amalgamation of these birds.