“Amygdala” delves into the primal fear center of the human brain and questions the ways that this cluster of nuclei and brain matter has played a pivotal role in human development and our domination of our natural environments. The piece presents a parched, fossilized expanse that represents our current fear and anxiety about environmental destruction, and the bleached, monochromatic environment is a forewarning of the detrimental consequences that result from our rampant consumption of the Earth’s resources. At its core, “Amygdala” also attempts to examine and deconstruct Whiteness as a racial identity and to unravel its problematic vestiges of superiority and fragility - which have historically had catastrophic impacts on People of Color.

YEAR: 2021

MEDIUM/MATERIALS: Mixed media on canvas

DIMENSIONS: 24 x 48 x 5 in