My work involves themes of redemption – allowing me to confront the memories of childhood sexual abuse sleeping just beneath my consciousness and to experience a rebirth in my identity from victim to powerful protector of innocence. Using the juxtaposition of serious narrative with beautiful, approachable techniques made me able to approach the narrative in a safe way and, after spending twenty years of my life repressing my own memories of sexual abuse, I am able to allow the memories to flood back to me, making sense of the stories hidden in my own artwork. In my work, I use symbols and non-representational ink marks as a way to process and express my story through art. I mix two separate mediums – ink and pencil – to play out my repressed memories of sexual abuse on paper. Simultaneously, by folding the paper, I am able to control and recreate the space of my memory. The dragged part of the Yupo paper stretches out to the viewers and invite them into the space I created. The work is no longer a two dimensional paper that viewers can observe but a space where they are standing and involved. This work is very personal, but I feel compelled to put both it and myself out in the view of the public. This is a difficult thing for me to do after my mind hid these memories from my consciousness in an attempt at self-protection for so long – then the anxiety created by feelings of fear and shame associated with sexual abuse. Creating and exhibiting this body of work, I feel as if I have gained control over the previously overpowering memories that used to define me. With the personal language I use in the work, I can show vulnerability and strength at the same time.