Allena is a non-binary artist focusing on topics of gender, perception and acceptance. Their piece is based around their idea of perception and the many faces they carry. To some they are a woman, based purely on physical perception. To some they are nonbinary, based on them as a person. To some they are a stranger passing by. In this piece they channeled the many ways they are perceived as a queer person in society. They blur the boundaries of perception with the use of multiple facial features and the grain of the wood block. This perception is also internal though. As a non-binary person they struggle with feeling both masculine and feminine, not knowing how to balance these two sides of themself. This piece was made as a three block print, with the images being engraved into the surface of the plate with a laser. The use of a laser is in reference to they way that technology can warp and change the perception of an individual, especially in the current digital age through the use of editing and curating an online persona.
