September 6 – September 22, 2012
Gallery 4
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My current body of work included in Genome explores concepts and phases in genetics and human cells. The human genome refers to the entirety of an organism’s hereditary information. From an early age I was aware of the fact that my physical traits were very similar to those of my mom’s and other women on her side of the family. It made me wonder what other hereditary genes I carry and could potentially pass along. In thinking about these genes I questioned what they might look like, how they would move within cells and how they function biologically. In this body of work I give these unseen entities form that ranges from an intimate four inches to a consuming six feet. Creating these forms in a more life-size scale reinforces the real connection between these organisms and ourselves.
The three main materials I have chosen for this body of work are clay, fabric, and bronze. Ceramics has the potential to possess traits of strength and impermeability as well as delicateness and fragility. The fabric in my work serves as a skin to my sculptural pieces, referencing the body or exterior layer of a cell. The bronze elements are used to imply an opening on a form, serving as the orifice between the internal and external layers of the piece. These bronze elements suggest movement and participation in biological life cycles.
All of my pieces are influenced by the same concepts; the utilitarian work has an added layer of function to the content. Through the act of using my utilitarian forms the viewer participates symbolically and literally in a biological, physiological process.