Reflections of Growth

A group exhibition, "Sowing Seeds of Care and Refusal", curated by Cindy Bonaparte, sponsored by LA County Community Impact Arts Grant. Exhibited at Sovern in Los Angeles, CA.

Grounding (Cycle 1: 0–7) – Mexican Brain Coral. I chose Mexican Brain Coral to root my earliest self in something ancient and enduring—a reminder that even before I had language, I carried the memory of those who came before me.

Sprouting (Cycle 2: 7–14) – Amber. I chose amber for this cycle not only because it holds the warmth and wisdom of time, but because it holds my name—this was the season I first began to wonder who I was becoming.

Budding (Cycle 3: 14–21) – Citrine. Citrine felt right for these years when I was learning how to take up space—its glow reminded me that joy, confidence, and creativity could be forms of survival and self-definition.

Blooming (Cycle 4: 21–28) – Rose Quartz. I chose rose quartz to mark this chapter of blooming love—for self, for others, for the world—and for all the ways I began to choose care over performance.

Sowing Seeds of Care and Refusal is a meditation on life cycles, transformation, and the choices that shape us. In Reflections of Growth: A Mosaic of Life Cycles, I construct self-portrait mosaics that map the seven-year increments marking my evolution, drawing from the astrological and biological significance of the number seven in renewal, change, and regeneration. Each mosaic is composed of photographs taken during that specific life phase—fragments of my younger selves, moments with loved ones, friends, and environments that shaped me during that time. These images, layered and reassembled, create a textured visual history of care, influence, and personal growth.

The project speaks to the dual forces of care and refusal: the nurturing forces that allow us to flourish and the necessary boundaries that protect and redefine us. Through the act of fragmentation and reconstruction, Sowing Seeds of Care and Refusal explores how we carry forward the people, places, and experiences that have shaped us, while also recognizing what we choose to leave behind. This project is both personal and communal, inviting viewers to consider their own cycles of becoming—how relationships, support, and self-determination intersect to create the ever-evolving mosaic of a life.

Grounding (Cycle 1: 0–7) – Mexican Brain Coral. I chose Mexican Brain Coral to root my earliest self in something ancient and enduring—a reminder that even before I had language, I carried the memory of those who came before me.

Sprouting (Cycle 2: 7–14) – Amber. I chose amber for this cycle not only because it holds the warmth and wisdom of time, but because it holds my name—this was the season I first began to wonder who I was becoming.

Budding (Cycle 3: 14–21) – Citrine. Citrine felt right for these years when I was learning how to take up space—its glow reminded me that joy, confidence, and creativity could be forms of survival and self-definition.

Blooming (Cycle 4: 21–28) – Rose Quartz. I chose rose quartz to mark this chapter of blooming love—for self, for others, for the world—and for all the ways I began to choose care over performance.

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Grounding (Cycle 1: 0–7) – Mexican Brain Coral. I chose Mexican Brain Coral to root my earliest self in something ancient and enduring—a reminder that even before I had language, I carried the memory of those who came before me.

Sprouting (Cycle 2: 7–14) – Amber. I chose amber for this cycle not only because it holds the warmth and wisdom of time, but because it holds my name—this was the season I first began to wonder who I was becoming.

Budding (Cycle 3: 14–21) – Citrine. Citrine felt right for these years when I was learning how to take up space—its glow reminded me that joy, confidence, and creativity could be forms of survival and self-definition.

Blooming (Cycle 4: 21–28) – Rose Quartz. I chose rose quartz to mark this chapter of blooming love—for self, for others, for the world—and for all the ways I began to choose care over performance.