Life's Complexities: Double Sided

Life is never one-dimensional. Throughout our lifetimes we will encounter obstacles that make us feel trapped, as what we once believed begins to question everything we thought we knew. It is when the validity or stability of our previous understanding is challenged that we truly experience what it means to be alive.

​​This series reflects my personal challenges. In the painting “The Dueling Nature of the Believer” issues of anxiety, uncertainty, and existential questions are explored, highlighting the paradox of religion and morale. The work “Singledom: For Better or For Worse,” explores the struggle of trying to embrace singlehood in a society dominated by hookup culture, while also conveying the sadness and longing for true love, often idealized in books and television. The painting “Am I a Big Girl Now?”, reflects on maturation—how, as children, we eagerly anticipate growing up, only to later wish we could return to the simplicity and innocence of our youth.

​​These double-sided self-portraits on two layers of glass create a see-through experience. The exterior portraits symbolize how opposing views within the human condition are perceived externally, while the memorabilia between the glass layers reveal the personal internal factors at play. Due to the transparency of the glass and colored cellophane, viewers on either side of the work can see through it, prompting a dialogue about the shared human condition. As two viewers observe and engage with the struggles depicted before them on either side of the painting, they also recognize each other, hopefully creating a layered understanding that while each human experience is unique, we are not alone in what we face.

By revealing these struggles in my work, I hope to inspire reflection on the complexities and contradictions of the human experience, encouraging viewers to embrace uncertainty and vulnerability. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to be uncertain. These are simply part of the human experience.