Untitled 1 + Untitled 2
2025
9"x12", Acrylic and watercolor on panel
Untitled 1 and Untitled 2 capture quiet, shared moments between two children on a journey, both physically and emotionally, as they ride a train. The paintings evoke a sense of anticipation, reflecting the hope of reaching a destination where belonging and understanding are not dependent on verbal communication, but are formed through shared presence. Painted in watercolor, the pieces emphasize vulnerability, with light and color symbolizing the potential for connection and hope.
Originally conceived as a guerrilla public intervention, these works were displayed in bathrooms—spaces where verbal communication is absent—allowing for an experience free from the influence of socially dominant knowledge norms. Photographs of these paintings, installed in public bathrooms around the SDSU campus, are included to highlight this installation approach. This method fosters an intimate, non-verbal encounter, drawing attention to the emotional and sensory depth of the works in spaces often overlooked or marginalized.
Inspired by the work of postcolonial theorist Gayatri Spivak, these pieces use the metaphor of travel to explore the tension between isolation and connection. Spivak’s concept of the "subaltern" invites us to reflect on whose voices are heard and whose are silenced in spaces dominated by verbal norms. Untitled 1 and Untitled 2 encourage viewers to consider the importance of non-verbal forms of knowledge—sensory (including visual and kinesthetic), intuitive, innate, and communal—as pathways to connection and belonging.