M. E. Klesse

Artist Statement

My practice explores the psychological aftermath of trauma, both personal and collective, through a multi-sensory, interdisciplinary approach. At its core, my work is an inquiry into the moral and emotional fractures left in the wake of social and political violence. I am particularly drawn to the silent, internalized struggles of both survivors and perpetrators: the dissonance of guilt, the residue of repression, and the mind’s quiet labor to reconcile damage inflicted or endured.
Emerging from this terrain are multi-sensory “artwork clusters” that weave together painting, sculpture, assemblage, and poetry. Each cluster originates in the emotional and psychological atmosphere surrounding its inception, allowing the work to act as both artifact and conduit. My oil and cold wax paintings, formed on unstretched canvas, mounted on rigid substrate, and floated within clear acrylic, offer a subtle dimensionality that echoes their layered emotional content. Sculptural forms, built from recycled plastic waste and finished with plaster, metal, and plant fiber, address themes of transformation, decay, and renewal. Encaustic works on board or cork incorporate botanical and fiber elements to create textured, tactile meditations on fragility and survival.
Music is integral to my process. As I work, internal compositions surface as auditory manifestations of emotional states, which crescendo during each piece’s completion. These compositions are often included in exhibitions, extending the work’s affective presence. In some installations, handcrafted ceramic “scent tubes” diffuse curated olfactory notes, further deepening the emotional and psychological dialogue between viewer, the object and the subject.
By integrating visual, tactile, auditory, and olfactory elements, I aim to construct immersive spaces where complex experiences, of damage, memory, guilt, resilience, can be more fully encountered. My work invites not only observation, but participation. It asks viewers to engage not just through perception, but through empathy.