"Perceive Me"

They don’t put your pant size on your tombstone—and there’s a reason for that.  It’s not important.

Kristine’s  “Perceive Me” project is not only an exploration of her personal journey of self-acceptance but a clarion bell for others to do the same.  And, as she stands naked before us, willing to take the slings and arrows that may result from the risk, she challenges us to think about our own thoughts and actions regarding body image,--what do we dislike about our own bodies? How do we altar the things we will do/deny ourselves based on how we look? What is gained by our criticizing others?

In a way, anytime we “put ourselves out there”  and are not doing something “safe” we are “naked” and exposing ourselves to criticism.  When I thought about how I wanted to portray Kristine, I wanted my sculpture, "Good as Hell," the title of which was inspired by the Lizzo song of the same name, to be one that showed Kristine literally and metaphorically free from the weight of her appearance.  I wanted my tangible representation of her to express the person I saw inside, to capture a moment where she was completely “unselfconscious.”  I wanted people to feel good when they looked at the sculpture of her, the way we feel good and connect when we see someone happy.

— Debbie Korbel