The Neon Gargoyle is a celebration of the ‘other’; both in materials and theme. The installation overflows with a diverse mix of ideas, salvaged materials, and styles, capturing the unfiltered nature of my overactive mind. However, at the center of it all, my work champions overlooked materials and overlooked people.
Much of the work in this exhibition is created from salvaged materials, something I was drawn to early on. My brother and I were raised by a single father and the constraints of our finances meant that art supplies were a luxury we couldn’t afford. Instead, I learned to be creative with materials found in construction site dumpsters and objects lying around the house. Unfortunately for my Dad, this often included items like his fancy Italian socks or the cardboard cover of his masters dissertation. In a low income household where repairing was more common than replacing, I learnt to appreciate the beauty in broken things and found value in what others saw as waste.
My hope is that the tender affinity I feel for discarded and rejected items is transferred to the themes I celebrate in this exhibition. Just as these overlooked materials still possess beauty and purpose, I believe those who are ‘othered’ by society deserve their rightful celebration. The Neon gargoyle champions femininity, queer identities, sexual empowerment, and fun.
The Neon Gargoyle stands as a tribute to the strange, the unconventional, and the overlooked. In a town hyper focused on athleticism I aim to broaden the focus and forge connections among the creative misfits and passionate weirdos who dwell in the margins. This installation is a sanctuary for those who find beauty in the odd and the overlooked, and a call to celebrate our shared eccentricities with pride
