emBODYed

emBODYed explores the physical and mental impressions of how emotions are stored within the body. Drawing from influences such as Mark Rothko, Henri Matisse, and the Expressionist movement, this body of work is informed equally by personal experience and academic research. Color, texture, and form are used to show how complex feelings can be seen and felt. My approach is grounded in somatic research, specifically Nummenmaa’s “Bodily Maps of Emotions,” which shows how different emotions are associated with different parts of the body. Each piece in the collection aims to nurture a greater awareness of the ways we carry, suppress, or express our emotions, challenging black and white thinking about how feelings work, and encouraging deeper reflection. emBODYed is a way of intersecting art and psychology to express what words sometimes fail to do.