Baked, 2026

Baked is an art installation dedicated to erasing the enduring stigma surrounding women’s mental health.
 

According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people worldwide live with mental health conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression. In the U.S., one in five women experiences a mental health disorder each year. Suicide remains a devastating outcome,  standing as a leading cause of death among young people across all socioeconomic groups. Societal stigma remains the greatest barrier to treatment with the reluctance of patients to seek treatment disproportionately affecting women.
 

This work is rooted in a long-silenced family tragedy. In 1957, my aunt Joan took her own life after witnessing a drunk driver kill her two-year-old daughter. At the time, her treatment consisted of shock therapy and dismissive medical advice to “have another baby”, reflecting the gendered attitudes of the time. Situating this history within a contemporary mental health crisis—where stigma remains the greatest barrier to care—Baked reframes private trauma as a collective, urgent social issue.