artist statement:

Inspired by indie horror video games and Hawj’s childhood memories of playtime, Good Times is an homage to the innocent curiosities children have when exploring topics such as death, violence, and fear while playing with the materials around them. By mark-making with crayons and sewing pieces together, Hawj represents exploration and learning through play. The hanging pages depict phrases said by children during playtime. When taken out of context, the phrases and marks make for an eerie installation.

This piece is inspired by the phrase “children play what they know.” I wanted to create a hanging piece that looked like it could have been put together by young children playing outside, but when taken a closer look at is actually a contextually-stripped representation of things said and done during a child’s playtime. It examines my own childhood fascinations with death and violence through an adult lens, as I now understand the context being about learning to navigate life experiences and educate myself on things that may have been censored from me. I questions why such topics are considered “adult” when children experience them all the same.

Paper, chipboard paper, cardstock, plexiglass, acrylic, crayon, charcoal, ink, thread, buttons, fishing line, leaves, sticks, metal binder clips, metal L-brackets