The Rose That Grew from Concrete (2024)
Inspired by Tupac Shakur’s poem “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”—a favorite of my mom’s—this sculpture reflects my personal journey of resilience through adversity. Created from sharp, rigid metal and spray-painted red and green, the rose was shaped using heavy-duty tools like a plasma cutter and die grinder to emulate the delicate curves of a flower. It’s planted in concrete to symbolize growth in an environment not built to nurture.
This piece speaks to the unseen labor of becoming the “ideal” woman in mainstream media—soft in appearance, but forged through struggle. Beneath the polished exterior lies the weight of sexism, racism, and societal expectations. Still, like the rose, we bloom.
During my time at SJSU, I worked multiple jobs, navigated personal loss, and studied through a pandemic. Though I often felt buried, this sculpture reminds me that I broke ground—I endured, I created, and I’m still growing.
If revisited, I’d deepen the tones of the rose for more dimension and refine the concrete base for a more intentional finish. But above all, this piece marks the start of my bloom, not the end.
Daily Dose for the 21st Century
Sculpture (Wax Sculpting, Aluminum Casting, Patina), Year
Just as we take daily vitamins to support physical health, social media has become a modern-day supplement—something many of us feel we need to regulate our mental state. Daily Dose for the 21st Century explores this parallel, using pill capsules and social media icons cast in aluminum to symbolize the addictive integration of technology into our lives.
The capsules serve as a metaphor for the habitual, almost medicinal way we consume digital content. Personally, I noticed my own pattern of reaching for my phone immediately upon waking—before even getting out of bed. Over time, this repeated behavior began to feel less like a habit and more like a dependency.
When taken in moderation, social media can inform, inspire, and connect. But when overconsumed, it becomes a synthetic substitute for presence, purpose, and authenticity—dulling our engagement with the world around us.
This piece invites viewers to reflect on their own digital intake and question: at what point does connection become consumption?