Negative Space, 2023

Twenty archival pigment prints, various sizing

Found objects, sculpture, and mixed media collage elements

Negative Space features a sequence of self-portraits illustrating the introspection surrounding my personal experience fighting for and undergoing a preventative hysterectomy, and the way its implications continue to shape my feminine identity. 

The duality of feeling empowered by a  tremendous burden being lifted, while also grieving the loss of an innate sense of womanhood and the option to conceive in the future, is a conflicting reality to face and articulate. But this struggle is not just an internal one. Societal attitudes in every culture throughout history have perpetuated both inferred and explicit roles for the female population as child-bearers, objects, and commodities.

This body of work aims to initiate a renewed dialogue about the age-old injustices persisting today, by portraying the emotional weight of expectation carried by women, particularly within the medical sphere. By cutting into the physical prints, and therefore creating dimensional voids and obscuring certain visual information, negative space becomes a symbol for the collective relegation of women and minority groups to occupy the margins. It represents the unspoken but deeply felt confines and the systematic biases that often dictate our experiences. 

My creative intent is for this project to offer its audience more than just a glimpse into my personal journey: it is a visual proclamation that, as women, we are not bound by the boxes that society imposes upon us. We are defined not by our ability to bear children, but by our resilience, our capacity for choice, and our collective power to redefine the narrative.