Kusch’s work is an investigation and reinterpretation of traditional Western European children’s stories and rhymes. It explores the ways in which the quality of innocence in the form of these stories can mask a more complicated interpretation of the content.

Drawing on these fables, Kusch isolates and morph archetypal characters into her own heroes and monsters, inserting them into new environments and narratives informed by adult experiences. She hopes to convey both the effect these stories have had on her, as well as “a complex and ever-changing picture of a morally mute natural world remote from its creator” (Mark Lilla). By injecting both dangerous and playful aspects into her work, she hopes to create a space that invites the viewer to explore, even as they resist the urge to flee.

“Flight” is perhaps a lighter look at these themes of duality and transformation. Print is the ideal medium for Kusch’s installations, allowing play and experimentation with multiples, as well as referencing the written and print tradition of storytelling and illustration. The woodcut cutout characters inhabit the gallery walls, drawing the viewer into the story. She is also currently exploring drawing on its own as a medium to develop new characters, disembodied from but still alluding to a just out of reach narrative. She is also interested in surface and space, particularly in how it informs the work and how each installation adapts to the unique space, allowing for new relationships. She wish to continue my focus on these themes, creating my own cast of characters for my own stories.