Untitled (botan•i•ca)

2024

Mixed-media textile portrait. Printed on lush velvet and
embellished with red lace and Swarovski crystals, this work functions as a
self-portrait that dissolves the boundaries between body, garment, and
environment. The figure is not simply depicted—it is enmeshed, absorbed
into a tactile ecosystem of surface, softness, and adornment.
The velvet ground holds the image with a depth that feels almost
devotional, while lace and crystal elements are hand-applied, creating a
dimensional skin that catches light and shifts with the viewer’s movement.
These embellishments evoke both intimacy and ceremony—echoing
traditions of dressing, veiling, and ornamentation as acts of care,
protection, and transformation.
Touch is central to the work. The surface invites closeness, resisting the
visual distance typically imposed by fine art. Instead, it offers a sensory
encounter—one that mirrors the experience of inhabiting a body, of
wearing fabric, of being held by one’s surroundings. The work moves
beyond image into environment: where softness becomes structure, and
adornment becomes language.