Artist Statement

Art is an essential part of my life, whether as a mindless pastime or an outlet to express myself. Art gives me another tool to voice myself in a form people, including myself, often understand better than language. A non-verbal form of self-reflection is particularly important to someone raised bilingually.

Because I grew up in a Danish home and attended an English-speaking school, it is more comfortable for me to express my emotions in Danish and easier to write analytically in English. I began to write about my experience with multiple languages. Soon I realized how challenging it is to describe the human relation to language since it is rooted in the individual experience. As I typically do to brainstorm, I took out my sketchbook and began to draw. I sketched memories, symbols, and words that I could not translate. I cut silhouettes of landmarks from the pages of newspapers, and painted animals from both Denmark and the U.S. My project aimed to create an illustration of the beautiful complexity of languages and cultures that overlap to form a new and unique language—one that at home we call Danglish.

Ideas or words from one language do not easily translate into another. Still, art allows me to create meaning from the differences and present a coherent, understandable message for the viewer. Although we view art through the lens of our own life, rendering art an inherently personal form of expression, we can still see the artist’s idea and meaning, regardless of their life experience and language. To me, the beauty of art lies in this creative capacity it gives the artist to form a language understood by all.