UC San Diego

Stigma Fog investigates the space of the othered gaze, meaning the gaze of the othered body. Through painting, video and installation I intend to grasp instances of ideological manifestations of the non-human, monster, mythological witch and devil. The formulation of this work has evolved slowly stemming from my critical awareness of my position as a woman and being labeled black; constructs placed upon my being through the systematic norms that penetrate American society.

This paper is outlined in chapters divided by medium, each discussing material strategies and conceptual underpinnings.I investigate both theories of agency and submission found within patriarchal realms and dominions of white hegemony in relation to the other. Through the use of the witch and her familiars as metaphor, video footage of Orca whales at Sea World, the occurrence of black deaths found in Hollywood cinema, and video of my nephews playing with goats symbolically hinting towards transformations of innocence I’m able to manifest power through form.