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Laila Pierce

Drawing

BFA · Class of 2026

What happens when replicas of my body are formed through palimpsests are thrown onto beaten pulp by the burned material of its original self? Why does this reaction create a favorable outcome, something more beautiful than I am? My work physically organizes the ways that I attempt to reclaim my body and identity through literal observation and rigorous abstractions. From a young age, being told to deny parts of yourself, unchangeable parts will forcefully destroy the smooth edges and create internal confrontation that allows for no rest for the individual. When memories and words such as these burrow deep into your skin, they become a part of the way you interact within life. I pass through life and carry with me the bits and pieces from everyone I’ve met or loved; I also carry their regrets and disappointments. The physical manifestation of this idea is shown through somewhat careful blending and chaotic line building within my treatment of texture and abstraction in the piece; tragic and somehow beautiful all within the same frame. My body is a catalysis, and I am condemned within it as it acts as the medium and the mode; the signifier and signified.