Visual and performing arts alum Sheridan Hines’ journey into art began with her childhood coloring books and the message from her family to seek creativity. But coming to college, her perception of art shifted from being simply aesthetically pleasing to a living, breathing thing worth exploring — culminating in a gallery that asked viewers: “What makes you uncomfortable?”
On display at the SP/N Gallery from March 28 to April 5, the gallery’s beginnings trace back to fall 2024, when Hines began to ask herself and others that very question. Hines said her personal health issues served as an initial inspiration for its development.
“Growing up I have had chronic health problems, and it’s [something] that people get really weirded out by, or they don’t want to talk about it,” Hines said. “Seeing that within our culture it made me want to ask, ‘What makes you uncomfortable?’ to broaden people’s knowledge and force them to have uncomfortable conversations towards things we consider taboo.”
Introduced to resin and silicon in college, two prominent materials in her sculptures, Hines found them useful as new outlets for her preexisting interest in horror and special effects makeup. In efforts to pursue realism in her art, she began creating with foam and other chemicals.
“My main line of work is a lot of [elements] like skin, hair, I have collected my own skin and hair,” Hines said. “Anything that is not going to be perishable, I’ll hold on to just to make it as real as possible.”
When entering the gallery, viewers are overwhelmed with the color red, from the hanging photographs to the walls being painted in the color’s shadows. Hines said the color theming stemmed from a more personal direction: working to understand herself better and ask herself difficult questions.
“I had a capstone class last year, and I recreated my childhood bedroom, and I used the color red to symbolize trauma,” Hines said. “With everything that happened to me, I was very gravitated to this candy red, I always have been. It’s very jarring, it’s very intense and I think within this show it shows the further infection of trauma that took hold of me.”
Starkly contrasting with the rest of the gallery’s elements, a large figure stands off to the corner, which Hines calls the “Boogeyman.” The amorphous figure has been repurposed across many of her shows, each show bringing a different meaning to the piece. According to Hines, the Boogeyman’s roots trace back to her father figure, who was a tormentor for her throughout her childhood. His menacing presence found its place within the theme of the show once more.
“He is kind of that creature of the black lagoon, old-Hollywood horror movie energy, which I really love,” Hines said. “Within this show, it was a way for me to force the viewer of the gallery to feel like someone is always watching them, while they were watching me, as a lot of [the gallery] is very personal parts of me.”
A big part of the gallery came from the recent, traumatic events in Hines’ personal life, starting with her mother’s cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2024 and with it an impending surgery. The diagnosis and the close bond she shared with her mother prompted Hines to start drinking daily as a form of escaping reality.
“It was hard for me to know what I needed,” Hines said. “In that moment, that’s what I felt like I needed.”
One night changed her life trajectory, when her memory stopped at a bar and she woke up with bruises and blood on her body, misplaced items and a damaged car. The events led to Hines visiting numerous hospitals in attempt to find out what happened to her.
“All of my things have a place, I have a routine, and all of my things were not where they were supposed to be,” Hines said. “After all that happened, I found out there were abrasions and more bruises had started to appear, almost finger-like bruises. In my brain, even if I was never going to get answers, I knew something happened, and I am maybe never going to be able to figure it out.”
Two weeks later, after her mother’s surgery, Hines was involved in a drunk driving incident. She said that it was the words of her boyfriend, mother and friends that served as the turning point going forward.
“At that moment [my boyfriend] told me, ‘I love you and I know this year has been the worst year of your life, but you have to do something and get sober,’” Hines said. “And I did. I got sober, and I forced myself to deal with it, and to not let these problems have a hold on me for the rest of my life.”
Beginning her sobriety journey, Hines returned to her studio, finding that making art was the only thing that felt good. Starting with self-portraits, she allowed herself to make the gallery as personal to her as she wanted. The period of reflection also allowed her to speak to those in her life younger than her, her experience serving as a warning around alcohol.
“It terrifies me thinking it could happen to somebody else,” Hines said. “If I help just one person, I will be happy. We have such a culture in America [around] alcoholism, and as a society we push alcohol down people’s throats so much, and that’s how you become cool, it’s so normalized.”
The gallery revolves around the theme of transparency. When Hines took photos of herself, she realized she could remove the white backing to make the background transparent, creating a series of photos displayed in the exhibition.
“A lot of the [work] is raw and unfinished, and I wanted it to be transparent in the process, transparent in the set-up, transparent in the ideals, everything aligning with that word,” Hines said. “For me it has always been very important to be open and honest, [and] it forced me to reflect upon myself.”
For Hines, creating and presenting the gallery was bittersweet, with the whole process contributing to her healing.
“It makes me think about [the experience] more, but it makes me think about it in a positive way and I would rather use something so negative and make it into a positive,” Hines said. “It’s almost like a fond memory, it’s kind of like its own little bubble. It’s kind of nice.”
While many artists differ on whether their story is crucial to their art and whether it is important to share it with viewers, Hines maintains her decision to share this part of her life. She said while the work can speak for itself, she feels talking about these specific instances will have a better impact: getting people to understand themselves and their own stories.
“I did a talk at the DMA about a year ago, and it was about my capstone and family violence, and all of the violences,” Hines said. “It was very uncomfortable, [but] afterwards many people came up to me [and told me they appreciated me] for having the courage to stand up and talk about these things, because some people can’t. I think [my work is] just to make people be more aware of their surroundings, be more aware of what makes them uncomfortable. If you live in fear of these things all your life, are you really living?”
Hines has many ideas for future exhibitions, some of which are grown from her current passions and projects. One of her ideas, building upon her interests in horror, discomfort and her draw to the color red, would take the form of a rave.
“Galleries are always stark and white, and I hate it, it’s so fucking boring,” Hines said. “I grew up listening to EDM music and going to raves and I think a part of my brain is attracted to the concept of light [and] bright. One of my dream shows is to create a nightmare rave and have people go inside.”
In a more personal light, she hopes to dive into other people’s stories to speak up on behalf of those who feel they can’t. Hines said she is drawn to the lives of those who haven’t gotten the answers they seek or once sought.
“I have not had such great things happen to me, and even though I have gone through all these things, I see everything in such beauty and color,” Hines said. “it’s because I have forced myself to deal with those problems, and deal with what makes me uncomfortable.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or visit UTD’s Student Counseling Center website for more information on recovery and seeking help.
