SYMPATHEIA

IN THIS COLLECTION, I TURN MY GAZE TO WHAT NATURE LEAVES BEHIND—WITHERED LEAVES, BRITTLE PETALS, FOSSILIZED SHELLS—EACH ARTIFACT MARKED BY THE QUIET EROSION OF TIME. THESE REMNANTS, WEATHERED AND FRAGILE, REVEAL MORE THAN THEIR SURFACES. THEY CARRY A STORY OF TRANSFORMATION, OF HAVING BEEN SHAPED BY FORCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL, YET STILL BELONGING WHOLLY TO THE NATURAL ORDER.

I FRAME THESE REMNANTS NOT AS SYMBOLS OF LOSS BUT AS PORTRAITS OF CONTINUITY. THEIR TEXTURES AND CONTOURS ECHO THE FOLDS OF SKIN, THE CURVATURE OF BONE, THE QUIET DIGNITY OF THINGS THAT ENDURE IN WAYS WE MIGHT OVERLOOK. IN THEIR FRACTURED ELEGANCE, I RECOGNIZE HOW THE IMPERFECT AND THE INCOMPLETE INVITE US TO SOFTEN OUR GAZE—TO SEE WITHOUT EXPECTATION, TO MEET WHAT IS BEFORE US WITH CURIOSITY AND CARE.

THIS BODY OF WORK IS AN INVITATION TO REFLECT ON HOW WE RECOGNIZE BEAUTY. NOT IN PERFECTION OR PERMANENCE, BUT IN THE TENDER COMPLEXITY OF THINGS THAT HAVE WEATHERED TIME. IT IS A REMINDER THAT NOTHING STANDS APART; THAT WHAT REMAINS, SHAPED AND CHANGED, IS ENOUGH.