"stranger city" Collage

In recent years, my work has centred on a personal family mythology through the material of zeolite. This mineral is inseparable from the story of my grandfather, who lost his orchards when the state expanded a local zeolite mine. At the same time, it is intrinsic to the landscape in which I grew up. I am drawn to zeolite for its inherent ambivalence: it appears solid yet disintegrates when exposed to water, transforming into a substrate capable of regenerating soil. This paradox positions zeolite as a conceptual material through which I connect personal statement with broader questions of ecological transformation, loss, and memory. My artistic practice explores environmental issues, local history, and the relationship between people and landscape. I respond to felling of trees, mining, and the social perception of ecological change. Working with natural materials—primarily stone, wood, and minerals—in combination with concrete and industrial elements, I investigate their physical transformation and their capacity to embody the memory of place.