The protective shields that we build physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically, help us endure and allow us to move through the world safely. Over time, however, these structures can become barriers that limit connection, expression, and vulnerability.
Shine takes the form of a worn, protective piece of armour marked by stress and repair. The work is constructed by layering encaustic, ink, and gold leaf over a plaster base, forming a distressed surface that records its history and imperfections. Cracks, seams, and openings interrupt the solidity of the form, and the fractured sections are bound together with gold wire. The piece is physically illuminated from behind, allowing light to emerge from within the structure itself.
Rather than arguing for the removal of armour, the work considers what is revealed through its inevitable fracture and our instinct to mend what has been breached. Light does not wait for permission. It presses outward and becomes visible not in the absence of strength, but through it.
For me, the light represents the part of the self that persists regardless of experience. We reinforce our defences to protect ourselves, yet what we most carefully contain often seeks expression. Shine reflects on resilience as a living, imperfect state, and acknowledges the tension between holding together and letting through.