Elizabeth Juarez
I’m a bug
Aluminum
2025

Juarez used aluminum to create a sculpture shaped to her five-foot frame, embodying the shell of an isopod. The work explores the experience of communicating simple phrases, such as “I’m a bug,” within personal relationships. While the element of cuteness conveys a lighthearted tone, the cold, stark metal shell represents isolation, shame, and the desire to retreat inward.

This wearable sculpture reflects Juarez’s diagnosis of depression and anxiety, as well as her ongoing process of discerning what is and is not reality. Through this piece, she examines the emotional burdens carried within the human condition and the instinct to protect oneself when feeling most vulnerable.