An Ode to Joy
Promenade Cultural Center Art Residency, Kuwait, 2024
Series of sculptures made from recycled marble
The theme of this residency, connection, immediately returned me to an emotion I felt before: wanting to bring people together using the idea of nostalgia. Nostalgia is both momentary and fragile. It allows you to return to a place, person, or emotion by engaging the senses. I believe that nostalgia has a certain beauty in its various shapes and forms. Whether it’s from an object, an image, or a piece of music, the individual is able to relive the feeling of happiness and, on occasion, sadness.
As I began unpacking pieces of my memories, I was reminded of the “collective unconscious” of shared history and experiences that we all have. The concept of preserving cultural heritage is embodied in my artwork, which is why I chose to work with marble: to stand the test of time and preserve a fleeting sentiment. By transforming these emotions into objects, I’m immortalizing brief moments in time, making them tangible today. This body of work is about wanting to capture that feeling of happiness by reproducing these moments from the past and making them last forever.
