The David (2022)
This body of work is a response to the firing of Hope Carrasquilla, a teacher at Tallahassee Classical School, who was dismissed after showing her class Michelangelo’s David—a classical Renaissance sculpture stripped of any eroticism. David represents an almost pure admiration for the human form, devoid of sexual intent. Like the sculpture, the naked body is not inherently sexual. Every person has a body that moves through space, yet we use clothing to conceal it as though hiding something shameful. Clothing is not a natural part of us, so why is there such fear and persecution surrounding its absence? Why do we project this fear onto children, teaching them to fear their own bodies?
In this site-specific series, I ask the models to present their homes and bodies as they exist in day-to-day life—no prepping, no cleaning, no posing with sexual undertones. The scenes within these images are essential. Clothing and environments are typically curated to give an impression, but when clothing is removed and homes are shown as they truly are, the naked body absorbs the role of expression. In some images, the subject and their environment become so intertwined that it’s hard to separate the two conceptually. This interplay pulls the viewer in, but the gaze of the subject often pulls them back out, creating moments of confrontation and reflection.
Through this work, I aim to challenge the discomfort society projects onto the human body and, ultimately, to spark a conversation about self-acceptance and authenticity.
