Infliction is a series of self-portraits spanning across three bodies of work: Specimens, Infliction, and Hoods. There is a particular headspace that conjures this work: it is manic and resourceful. When it appears I do as I am told.

I initiated Specimens in early 2020 while in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. In isolation I consumed true crime television and podcasts which heightened my fear over home invasion and homicide. Jolted awake at the slightest squeak in the floorboards, I would inspect every cabinet, corner and closet for intruders. I was both consumed by my capacity to breed inner turmoil yet horrified at how I converted these inspections into a mundane ritual. I staged fictional crime scenes and took place as my own victim, making tangible the scenarios I feared most.

After producing Photoshop-intensive self-portraits I challenged myself to distort my face in person rather than digitally. At this time I collected leather harnesses, gags and other accessories to explore my erotic interests. Donning these accessories, I discovered a pleasure in physical discomfort and documented the boundaries of self-infliction. Though I fear being the object of someone else’s control, the act of photographing self-portraits makes me exactly that: I am both photographer and subject; dominant and submissive; voyeur and exhibitionist.

Whether it’s latex or leather; breathplay or pup play, I am enamored by a hood’s ability to disguise its wearer and strip them of their humanity: I make hoods to strip away my own. While sewing is far beyond my usual craft of digital manipulation, creating my own hoods lends me an additional process of tactile transformation. The act of cutting fabric, selecting a zipper that best compliments the hood, trying on the garment, and making adjustments is simply another process of control that I have over my work. The concept for these hoods comes to me spontaneously: they are physical manifestations of my spirit.

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