About

Artist Statement

According to Merriam-Webster, cathect is a Freudian term meaning “to invest with mental or emotional energy.”  Creating art is a process which solicits the release of my thoughts and emotions. Regardless of medium, my intentions are to evoke a reaction from the viewer.  The more intense the emotion, the better. Embroidery, photography, ceramics, found objects, installations, and gouache are used to express my passionate perspectives on human sexuality, sexual assault, mental health, societal norms, and food.

Within my artwork, one can see themes of human figures in vulnerable positions or abstract representations of my emotional distress.  My work displays representations of these intense periods, forcing viewers to experience residual exposed, powerlessness.  My hope is to engage the viewer by flooding them with emotion and prompting self-reflection.  To balance the potential for emotional exhaustion in myself and my viewer(s), I create work often focused on food or food related items to show the healing through connection of a meal or drink.  Although I find visual art a cathartic release to my own emotional distress, it is pertinent for others to be along for my journey.

Artist Bio

Katrina is a visual artist living in Chicago, IL.  They currently work as a mental health counselor focusing on sexual violence trauma within people of marginalized statuses (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQIAP+, Immigrant/First Generation).  In 2019, she was able to showcase two solo exhibitions, WINDOWS and Overcontrol.   Although Katrina graduated with a Bachelor’s in Photography, she engages with multiple mediums such as, embroidery, ceramics, found objects, and installations.  In 2023, they recently began working with gouache and ink.  Her work incorporates a mixture of human commonalities: form, emotions, and healing.  She pushes the boundaries of unspoken social and sexual issues while undressing levels of vulnerability.  Their topics center on human sexuality, sexual assault, mental health, societal norms, and food. Katrina’s work encourages viewers to become reflective with emotions and heal on a journey with them.