Artist Statement: “Folk Ontologies” invites an exploration of humanity’s enduring struggle with the unknowable. Throughout history, people have turned to religion, spirituality, and myth to soothe the psychic discomfort profound questions may engender. For some, science has become a religion of its own. This series aims to embrace the inherent tensions that shape and constrain our understandings: order and chaos, presence and absence, seen and unseen. What happens when we sit with uncertainty? How do we reconcile our innate desire for clarity with the limitations of our own comprehension? These mixed media works feature negative space figuration and semi-abstracted forms, set against collage backgrounds composed of primary source articles. This approach creates a visual dialogue between the tangible and the abstract, the scientific and the intuitive, embodying the dualities the series explores. Each piece parallels an archetypal human experience with an astrophysical phenomenon, inviting viewers to engage with feelings both familiar and unresolved. How might conflicting dichotomies inform our identities, our realities? At its core, “Folk Ontologies” seeks to create a space for contemplation, where the construction of meaningful narratives can coexist with a lack of resolution.

NOTE: This series is still underway, with additional work and findings forthcoming. Exhibition expected 2025.