Existing comment:
My practice engages themes of assumption, expectation, seduction, and the abject body. I investigate my relationship to my body and its implications through material exploration and abnormal forms. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was four years old. As someone with an autoimmune disease, I am constantly aware of my body. By using homemade candy, Jell-O, and spent medical supplies, I seek to challenge the audiences' expectations as I create bizarre sculptures that are humorous, ironic, childlike, and disturbing all at once.
I utilize my recycled Autosoft 90 Infusion Sets to make sculptures comprised of hundreds of molds. The Autosoft 90 Infusion Sets insert a cannula in my body where the insulin I administer enters. The gem- like exterior of the molds seduces the viewer into coming closer to contemplate – what exactly are these sculptures? The discarded medical material the mold is made from generates distinct contrast to the beautiful exterior. I ask the viewer to consider their preconceived expectations and to question why they might find the sculptures both alarming and attractive.
The sculptures are simultaneously playful and twisted, seductive and repulsive based on their appearance and deeper meaning. Candy is a humorous material wrapped up in irony, resent, and dependence. Jell-O, a "clear liquid food," conjures memories of sickness. Its consistency and disappointing flavor emphasize the repulsive nature of the enlarged Autosoft 90 Infusion Set sculpture. The degenerative forms that are entangled amongst the sculptures parallel the way that insulin breaks down sugar in the blood.
Nicole Maloof |