Throughout much of the pandemic, I’ve focused on creating small sculptures out of polymer clay. With their soft, organic shapes and adorable visages, these cartoonish figures are reminiscent of dolls, clowns, and childhood nostalgia which is often tainted by something darker. They symbolically depict emotional experiences I’ve gone through as a result of a traumatic upbringing with a narcissistic mother. After a lifetime of gaslighting, I find it very cathartic and empowering to express my feelings and experiences through my art.

My work flaunts cuteness in the face of bleakness, showcasing the resilience and strength of the human spirit in the face of trauma. My artwork is my way of simultaneously processing my trauma, escaping from it, and reimagining the childhood that I didn’t have.

Rose Silberman-Gorn is a painter and sculptor who is currently based in Queens, New York. She has been making cartoonish, surreal paintings with childish imagery since 2012. During the pandemic, she expanded her practice by making polymer clay sculptures which explore emotional experiences resulting from childhood trauma. She has exhibited work in recent group shows at Local Project, Ethan Cohen Kube, and Ely Center of Contemporary Art.