Helen Criaco

Clean is a reflection on behavior common in victims of physical abuse. Both children and adults often engage in excessive bathing and cleaning as a means of coping with this kind of trauma. This universal tendency has always touched me, as I’ve always seen the bathroom as a spiritual place. The bathroom is unique in that people are inclined to respect others' privacy without question. Although I created this piece from my own life experience, Clean was also inspired by Blanche DuBois, a character in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire. Williams’ empathetic, sensitive, and nuanced portrayal of Blanche, a flawed and troubled person who bathes compulsively as a means of dealing with psychic distress, touched me deeply. It motivated me to make a piece on the same theme from my own perspective and employing my own skills. Clean is a sculptural self-portrait scaled down 60 percent. It is a multimedia piece made out of ceramic, wood, wire, clay, caulk, fabric, and painted with acrylic.