icarus Quartet

icarus Quartet is the performing chamber ensemble of icarus Quartet, Inc., a Baltimore-based nonprofit organization for which I serve as Executive Director. More information, media, and event details can be found at icarusQuartet.org while you can read iQ's biography below:

 

Reclaiming the Constellations

This work plays on the subjectivity of the past, which is seen through the lens of those with the power to write it. Who gets to name the constellations? Why do they have names like Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus, etc. when they had been named previously by other cultures? In renaming the constellations, I strip them of their Greek/Western mythos. The high key color or rainbow also brings to mind a variety of meanings—the calm after a storm, a celebration of bounty and variety, and most importantly, a symbol of pride for the LGTB community.

Walls of the Yucatán

Nationally, we have been having a lot of conversations about walls and borders. Who has access? Who gets to permeate these barriers? I made these paintings from a series of photographs I took while traveling to ancient Mayan sites throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. I was drawn to these walls from Chichen Itza, Coba and Tulum and to these handmade bricks and stones. In Mayan times these would have been covered over with Stucco. Because these sites are now ruins, the stucco has eroded away and reveals these amazing, very human surfaces.

Skull Series

While some may associate skulls primarily with death, for me, they take on a different symbolism—one that encapsulates life, a life rich with experiences and suggestive of happiness. Consider "Smiley," an imposing 60 x 48-inch skull featured in a wallpaper collage. Initially presenting as a potent symbol of death, a closer examination reveals images of people nestled within the cranium. These figures, reminiscent of a bygone era, portray sentimental scenes of couples dancing and frolicking in a forest meadow.

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