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artist statement
Night terrors occur between sleeping and waking, often characterized by extreme fear in the wake of an hallucination. My chronic night terrors, occurring almost every night, center around the belief that insects or machinery are attacking me. I awaken screaming and often running to perceived safety. Night terrors are rare in adults and are often caused by unconfronted trauma.
Seeing the connection between my night terrors and the dead bugs, I decided to create images about my experiences. Through research into the symbolism of insects across time and art history, I noticed a pattern; insects are often symbolic of transcendence between worlds.
"Night Terrors" has emerged as an exploration of the sleeping and the waking, the conscious and the subconscious. Where do nightmares come from, and how can we reconcile our fears when we aren't in control of our thoughts? My greatest fears stem from feeling out of control. I've suffered from chronic nightmares my entire life, and night terrors for the past two years. Both have taken away my sense of control, and this body of work is an attempt at regaining control over my fears.
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