Promises Promises

Promises Promises  symbolically references a real incident: In March 2002 four young girls were found enslaved in brothels in Plainfield and Elizabeth New Jersey. Trafficked into the country with promises of marriage the horror of their story was the motivation for this extended series of outdoor and indoor installations.

The sites, materials, lighting, and sound are selected by the artist intensify the disjoint between the fantasies and dreams of these girls and the reality of their enslavement as prostitutes. Visually seductive at first glance a darker and decidedly ominous interpretation is revealed as the viewer approaches the installations. The deception, degradation, and loss of innocence that took place is enhanced by the mutilation of the dozens of tutus, bridal petticoats and Quinceanera dresses suspended from the ceilings found in forests or trapped in cages.