Exploring the effect of popular culture on the individual psyche, I appropriate anime and manga imagery and transform it through mixed media processes. Growing up as a hypersensitive child, and enamored by the dynamic, imperfect character of Sailor Moon—who transforms from a lazy, whiny schoolgirl into an Earth-saving heroine—gave me comfort. The way Sailor Moon built relationships with others to become a better version of herself became a model for me. Years later aspects of her character remain a recurring theme in my work, yet now her idealistic image is distorted through a process in which I layer prints, tracings and digital imagery on transparent materials to communicate the effects of time on a childhood now past.

Meet the Artist

Demi McNulty