Disabled Mermaid

​As a child, I created a mythology to explain my disability. I believed I was a mermaid in another life, and something got lost in translation when I was reborn into this one. A friend once told me that, as artists, we often have one story that we tell in countless ways, and this—my mythology of bodies and belonging—is that story for me. It’s a narrative that finds its way into my work over and over, each time a little different but always connected.

This art splits my mind into two parts: the medicalization of my body and the magic in how my body formed. It allows me to play with that line, creating mythological creatures in my paintings and sculptures that carry the experiences of disability. These beings live in worlds where difference isn’t “other” but essential, their shapes and stories meant to shift how we view beauty, power, and presence. Through them, I explore the enchantment in the way I’m made and hope to create a place where anyone can see their own uniqueness as a part of something extraordinary.

Disabled Mermaid in White shows a Mermaid diagnosed with a fin difference, akin to the limb differences I was born with, proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD). She includes an explanation of her diagnosis, and old x-rays of my hips and right underdeveloped lower limb. 

She is cast in modified gypsum from my original oil clay sculpture and finished with a subtle wash. Her coloring will vary. Each piece is signed and numbered.