Displacement 2026

Between the ages of 15 and 18, I lived in four different states, moving so often that I became aware of how temporary the nature of everything around me was. Before that, I spent fifteen years in my childhood home in Ohio, surrounded by my extended family. Leaving created instability as I entered a cycle of constant relocation, fundamentally changing how I relate to both space and people. Over time, this instability led to a sense of detachment, as if nothing around me was permanent enough to invest myself into. My life became a continuous cycle of going through our belongings, only packing the essentials, and unpacking them again in a new and unfamiliar place. With each move, my family and I take our most important things into each new space, filling an unfamiliar room with comfort and familiarity. While my family has been a grounding and comforting source through this process, our shared experiences create a level of complexity in how we connect with one another. 

This series of paintings reflects my experience of moving by bringing together what was left behind and what continued to move with me. Using oil paint, I recreate my childhood bedroom, 107 South Ridge, as a space that now exists primarily in my memory, alongside portraits of my brothers and I, which are titled Rickie et al., Timmy et al., and Nicholas et al. These works are accompanied with smaller, interchangeable canvases that can be placed within the larger compositions by the viewer, allowing the images to shift and evolve. This interactive structure works to mirror the experience of moving itself, with the spaces and identities constantly rearranged and unsettled. By combining memory, physical space, and portraiture, Displacement explores how identity is shaped through movement. Home becomes fluid, constructed through people, objects, and experiences, rather than tied to a single location.