IG: @jaibaij

Escape Loops

Through observing the entropic nature of addiction recovery in myself and others, I make visually dense, non-representational work that emulates the slow, non-linear progression of self-actualization and rejects clear-cut categories and binary language that dismiss the nuances of the human experience. My artistic practice parallels my experience as a person in recovery. I reflect on a proclivity towards self-destructive cycles, and an eventual commitment to escaping them.
My work carries and delivers dense emotion by extending an experience of multiple senses. Discrete objects exist in tandem with projection and sound installation. Works that entrap themselves and produce their own light pinpoint subtle meanings or misunderstandings within addiction/recovery through opulent detail, accompanied by a background of looped voice and ambient guitar- a replication of all-consuming guilt and the spiral of self-annihilation.
Perception of language is the spine of my work. I depict and obscure writing that draws from thought loops, song lyrics, and discussions within anonymous rooms to create work that addresses recovery as a collective experience. Unintelligible texts consider how dishonesty warps individual and social perceptions of reality, the dialogue between oneself and the universe, and how anonymity both protects and inhibits connection.

Bio

Jai Luc Santoro is a nonbinary multi-media artist from Groton, Massachusetts. Born the eldest of three to an artist and engineer, they grew up listening to their father's music all day and drawing until their fingers hurt. Jai is fascinated by the human tendency to self-destruct. They believe stability is precarious, and try to be game for whatever life throws their way. Jai is also a local music lover and avid show-goer; they currently maintain a studio practice in the Apohadion Theater.

Jai received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting with Honors from the Maine College of Art and Design in 2025. They are interested in performance, sound, painting, and object-making. Jai’s work reflects the cyclical nature of addiction and recovery, rejects the fallacy of the single solution, and critiques binary language that dismisses the nuances of the queer experience.