Behind the Prints: Creating Silent Bodies, Loud Gazes

It all started with a feeling after the Election.

There is a tension between being seen and being silenced—of existing under constant observation yet rarely being heard, especially during our current political climate in the United States. Silent Bodies, Loud Gazes came from that space. As an artist, I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of power, perception, and presence. This project grew from a need to dissect the gaze to understand how it functions, who holds it, and what it means to be looked at without being seen.

I started with the idea of visibility, which is how bodies, especially those that don’t conform to dominant ideals, are often hyper-visible and yet dismissed. I wanted to explore the contradiction of being reduced to a surface while ignoring your voice. Printmaking, with its bold forms and history of resistance, felt like the perfect medium to speak back.

Visually, I leaned into the aesthetics that have always inspired me: the sharpness of Barbara Kruger’s text, the activism of the Guerrilla Girls, and Brian Ewing's gritty, unapologetic style. These influences helped me find a language that felt direct but layered something that demanded attention without offering easy answers.

I used high-contrast imagery, layered textures, and bold typography to create tension and energy in each piece. Every print was an experiment in composition and communication. I wanted the viewer to feel implicated, aware of their gaze, or empowered while engaging with the work. The goal wasn’t comfort. It’s confrontation.

At its core, Silent Bodies, Loud Gazes is about reclaiming space. It’s about making the quiet loud, the overlooked undeniable. And maybe, just maybe, it’s about shifting the power in who gets to look and who gets to speak.