Avi is a multidisciplinary artist with a deep interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). She is currently completing her B.A. in Studio Art and Psychology at Grinnell College.

Avi is drawn to observing habits, bodily responses, social interactions, and moments of discomfort as a way of understanding both myself and others. Her work often begins with close attention to the body—what it does unconsciously, repetitively, and instinctively—and how those actions reflect internal states.

Her most recent work sits at the intersection of intimacy and unease, making private habits visible within public space. This project centers on the physical manifestations of anxiety, with a particular focus on unconscious face pulling, a repetitive coping gesture that externalizes tension through the body. For Avi, pulling the face feels like an attempt to extract stress from my mind; the physical sensation itself releases an indescribable pressure from her face and body. Translating this action into sustained works of art allows her to examine how anxiety exists simultaneously within the mind and the body’s natural physical tendencies.

She sometimes incorporates personal color choices—particularly teal and orange—because of their associations with complement and comfort. Used sparingly, these colors introduce a quiet tension alongside uneasy subject matter, highlighting the contradiction between distress and self-soothing.

Avi’s work does not aim to resolve anxiety, fear, or dread, but rather to honor their complexity: their repetitions, distortions, and lingering presence. This body of work creates space for vulnerability and recognition, offering an exploration of anxiety that is both fragmented and whole, deeply personal and profoundly human.

Outside of my studio practice, I enjoy learning and developing new skills whenever possible. Some of my favorite activities include dancing, building LEGO structures (and time-lapsing the process), staring at clouds, people-watching, and predicting the plot of nearly every TV show or movie I watch.