October 12, 2025 The Atelier Tacoma 711 St. Helen Ave #102 3pm-4:30pm Free Event
Transparent: An Artistic Study of Emotional Abuse
As an artist who has navigated the complexities of human relationships and witnessed the profound impact of invisible wounds, I am compelled to illuminate experiences that exist in the shadows of our collective consciousness. Transparent emerges from a deep recognition that emotional abuse—a silent epidemic affecting nearly half of all intimate partnerships in the United States—demands artistic examination and social discourse.
The cunning nature of emotional abuse lies not in its volume, but in its subtlety. It operates as an erosive force that reshapes lives while remaining largely unseen, infiltrating professional, social, political, familial, and intimate relationships with devastating effect. Through Transparent, I seek to make visible what has been rendered invisible, transforming an abstract psychological experience into a tangible artistic encounter.
My choice of polyester film as the primary medium is deliberate and symbolic. This literally transparent material serves as a metaphor for the translucent quality of emotional abuse—present yet difficult to grasp, impactful yet elusive. The installation consists of five interconnected works: four six-foot pieces that function as visual contradictions, each bearing two distinct surfaces. One side confronts viewers with solid, imposing black—a representation of the negativity and harm inherent in abusive dynamics. The opposing side shimmers with translucent glitter, embodying the positive aspects of life and our capacity for hope and renewal.
The creation process itself becomes a performative act of healing and embodiment. I move my body through yoga postures while applying paint to the polyester surfaces, transforming the studio into a space where physical practice and artistic creation converge. This embodied approach to mark-making allows my body to become both the instrument and the witness to the creative process. Each painted gesture emerges from a place of mindful movement and breath, infusing the work with the same healing energy that yoga brings to trauma recovery. The physical act of moving through postures while creating mirrors the journey of moving through pain toward healing—a process that requires both presence and patience.
The central 12-foot piece functions as the installation's emotional and conceptual core. From this centerpiece, strands are cut and deliberately woven through the surrounding works, creating a physical manifestation of how our past experiences—both traumatic and transformative—flow through and inform our present selves. These flowing connections speak to the inescapable reality that we carry forward the threads of our history, integrating both shadow and light into the fabric of our identity.
Transparent is fundamentally an act of advocacy disguised as art. My intention extends beyond aesthetic consideration to social intervention. By rendering the invisible visible, I aim to catalyze conversations that many find difficult to initiate. The work acknowledges that countless individuals navigate life without adequate tools for processing and healing from emotional abuse, and it serves as both recognition of this reality and invitation for change.
This installation does not position itself as a definitive statement on abuse, but rather as an opening—a space for reflection, recognition, and ultimately, transformation. I believe deeply that the act of gathering tools for healing and evolving represents the healthiest choice for all individuals, whether they identify as those who have been harmed or those who have caused harm.
Transparent stands as my commitment to art's capacity to address urgent social issues with nuance and compassion. It is my hope that viewers will encounter not only the aesthetic experience of the work, but also its underlying message: that healing resources exist, that recognition is the first step toward change, and that there is always a path forward toward wholeness.
Through this work, I invite viewers into a dialogue that transcends the gallery space—one that extends into our communities, our relationships, and our commitment to creating a world where emotional safety is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.
Transparent: An Artistic Study of Emotional Abuse
As an artist who has navigated the complexities of human relationships and witnessed the profound impact of invisible wounds, I am compelled to illuminate experiences that exist in the shadows of our collective consciousness. Transparent emerges from a deep recognition that emotional abuse—a silent epidemic affecting nearly half of all intimate partnerships in the United States—demands artistic examination and social discourse.
The cunning nature of emotional abuse lies not in its volume, but in its subtlety. It operates as an erosive force that reshapes lives while remaining largely unseen, infiltrating professional, social, political, familial, and intimate relationships with devastating effect. Through Transparent, I seek to make visible what has been rendered invisible, transforming an abstract psychological experience into a tangible artistic encounter.
My choice of polyester film as the primary medium is deliberate and symbolic. This literally transparent material serves as a metaphor for the translucent quality of emotional abuse—present yet difficult to grasp, impactful yet elusive. The installation consists of five interconnected works: four six-foot pieces that function as visual contradictions, each bearing two distinct surfaces. One side confronts viewers with solid, imposing black—a representation of the negativity and harm inherent in abusive dynamics. The opposing side shimmers with translucent glitter, embodying the positive aspects of life and our capacity for hope and renewal.
The creation process itself becomes a performative act of healing and embodiment. I move my body through yoga postures while applying paint to the polyester surfaces, transforming the studio into a space where physical practice and artistic creation converge. This embodied approach to mark-making allows my body to become both the instrument and the witness to the creative process. Each painted gesture emerges from a place of mindful movement and breath, infusing the work with the same healing energy that yoga brings to trauma recovery. The physical act of moving through postures while creating mirrors the journey of moving through pain toward healing—a process that requires both presence and patience.
The central 12-foot piece functions as the installation's emotional and conceptual core. From this centerpiece, strands are cut and deliberately woven through the surrounding works, creating a physical manifestation of how our past experiences—both traumatic and transformative—flow through and inform our present selves. These flowing connections speak to the inescapable reality that we carry forward the threads of our history, integrating both shadow and light into the fabric of our identity.
Transparent is fundamentally an act of advocacy disguised as art. My intention extends beyond aesthetic consideration to social intervention. By rendering the invisible visible, I aim to catalyze conversations that many find difficult to initiate. The work acknowledges that countless individuals navigate life without adequate tools for processing and healing from emotional abuse, and it serves as both recognition of this reality and invitation for change.
This installation does not position itself as a definitive statement on abuse, but rather as an opening—a space for reflection, recognition, and ultimately, transformation. I believe deeply that the act of gathering tools for healing and evolving represents the healthiest choice for all individuals, whether they identify as those who have been harmed or those who have caused harm.
Transparent stands as my commitment to art's capacity to address urgent social issues with nuance and compassion. It is my hope that viewers will encounter not only the aesthetic experience of the work, but also its underlying message: that healing resources exist, that recognition is the first step toward change, and that there is always a path forward toward wholeness.
Through this work, I invite viewers into a dialogue that transcends the gallery space—one that extends into our communities, our relationships, and our commitment to creating a world where emotional safety is not a privilege, but a fundamental right.
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