My artwork seeks to reveal inner nature in all its complexities, intricacies, and contradictions. I venture into different forests and collect leaves, sticks, seeds and more to mold my nature masks. They have become fragments of land memories that I once inhabited. I collected yellow leaves in Paris during my study abroad, feathery white leaves while studying in New York City, and mosses from my home in Oakland, California. City life overwhelms my senses so I find these nature spots to be sanctuaries for my mind. My self-portrait mask is made of onion and garlic skins to reflect my more direct surroundings and branch away from the dynamic of taking away from forests. A place’s identity beyond its built environment interests me because it tells stories that lay beneath the surface. What does this land communicate and how am I reflected in the elements? I work with decaying materials that show our temporality as a way to embrace the cycles of life.
I have a background in designing and teaching science and art curricula to elementary school students. I specifically work with programs that provide resources for underserved communities. I encourage students to be in touch with their emotions and recognize the interconnectivity of all things. I am the author of 4 books, an experimental, conceptual art series where I wrote a book during each season. It is written in an unfiltered- automatic stream-of-consciousness style and follows my mood changes over a year. Currently, I am creating a curriculum filled with art projects for students to develop empathy. I am also building a sculpture of discarded Apple products to represent land extraction and maltreatment of women’s bodies. More of my work to come will focus on the impact of the climate crisis on marginalized bodies and mental health conditions. I am an environmental artist that urges humanity to embrace that more than one emotion, idea, and future exists at once.
View Marikit’s work in the Spring | Summer 2023 Gallery