My recent work revolves around the nature of specimens. The first iteration of this idea took the form of photographs made in natural history museums. These exhibits are often beautiful—the result of close collaboration between scientists and artists—and can be understood as works of art in their own right. At the same time, they carry an undercurrent of violence. It is difficult to ignore that the animals on display were once living beings, killed, skinned, and preserved. The work exists in a space between scientific inquiry and aesthetic construction, where beauty and unease coexist. I am particularly drawn to the painted backdrops of the dioramas. These landscapes, often more gestural and expressive than one might expect, are among the most evocative elements of the displays, yet they are rarely examined closely. I have made numerous photographs of these paintings, isolating and reconsidering them as independent works. In other pieces, I layer these images with photographs of three-dimensional objects, often including taxidermied animals. Through this overlay, the boundary between representation and specimen becomes unstable, and the act of looking is complicated.