Gregor's Room

Estrangement
copy/printer paper, water, drawing inks
wall measures ~ 6 x 9 x 1 in

Process photos

Top down, left to right: practice cube and beam, test page and sphere for inks, mattress and bed frame before inking, using a brick to dry quilt, bed pieces together before adding headboard/legs and inking

Artist statement:

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was unlike any other story I've read. There were so many layers to unpack, but I found myself drawn to the image of Gregor's bedroom right at the beginning of the story. In this work, I wanted to depict that picture-perfect cottage imagery, but also to represent the contrast between it and Gregor post-metamorphosis, as well as the isolation and ostracization he experiences. While reading the story, I noticed similarities between Gregor's condition and that of a depressed person experiencing executive dysfunction. Both experiences seem to entail feeling like you're just a lump that can't do anything but sit there and wallow in filth, making everything around you dirty. This is what inspired Gregor's form, as not a bug, but just a black mass that oozes grime and stains the perfect, pretty rug he's sitting on.