One of the strongest reoccurring themes in my work is that of Belonging…the search for it, the denial of it, and the confusing feeling of being alien and not knowing why. I often exist in a state of soft bewilderment. The voices around me speak in a language I can mostly understand, but can’t quite seem to mimic. Social interactions often feel painful – they contain so many subtle nuances and delicate shifts – like an ethereal dance I never learned the steps to. My physical body has been righteously rejecting my existence since shortly after I entered the world. It seems determined to correct a mistake that was made – a cosmic accident that lead to me slipping though the filter. Accepting my extrinsic self has brought me to a beautiful place of personal peace. I am barren, but not I am not silent. Art allows us to communicate without the encumbrance of language and the incertitude of physical connection… it allows us to find a place of Belonging, even if that place is only within ourselves. My Children of the Nephilim show opens this Saturday at Monster Gallery in Indianapolis. Thank you to all my fellow aliens, weirdos and nephilim out there. #nephilimunite #mabgraves #childrenofthenephilim
