You Are Who You Want

32” x 44”, mixed media and collage

Acrylics, spray paint, chalk, gold foil, vintage magazine collage

You Are Who You Want is a vibrant and unapologetic celebration of feminine power and self-definition. Built through an overpainting process with layers of acrylics, spray paint, chalk, and gold foil, the canvas is collaged with imagery sourced from vintage 1970s magazines—fragments of women’s faces, figures, and body parts, especially breasts, come together to form a raw, unfiltered expression of womanhood.

The women’s faces throughout the piece are not passive—they look back. Their gazes meet the viewer’s directly, as if asking, “And who are you?” There is a charged exchange, a reversal of the gaze. As the viewer assesses them, they too are being seen, questioned, and challenged in return.

In the bottom left corner, a grandmother figure quietly watches over the scene—symbolizing ancestral strength or quiet observation. On the bottom right, the word “ENOUGH” forms a ladder, climbing upward—suggesting both resistance and rise.

You Are Who You Want is a reclamation and a declaration. It speaks to autonomy, embodiment, and the radical act of choosing your own identity. It invites the viewer not only to witness, but to confront their own gaze and assumptions, and ultimately, to reflect.