Unwilling Participant, 2025

I am an unwilling participant in my body, in my life, and in systems that demand I perform my pain for understanding. Unwilling Participant examines what it means to live in a body that has been and is constantly being interrogated, investigated, and interpreted. It explores what it is to be intruded upon, imposed upon, and insisted upon for simply existing. The work is, in part, an act of revelation and an act of reconciliation, for without interrogation, investigation, and interpretation, I would never get the answers I deserve.

Across various mediums, I use contrast, repetition, and concealment to reveal pieces of myself on my own terms. Viewers were asked to engage with the work physically, implicating themselves in the invasiveness the work critiques. They became, in a way, unwilling participants. This body of work exists as both an exposé and cover-up, reflecting the ongoing struggle between the search for answers and the fight for autonomy.

This body of work was exhibited in group show in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery (Baltimore, MD) from December 4, 2025 to December 18, 2025.