MFA Thesis Exhibition 2011
This body of work draws from my obsessive interest in the social interactions I observe and participate in. I am fascinated by our need to connect with each other, forming groups, cliques and clubs. We include, exclude, recognize and ignore each other, constantly reconfiguring our social networks. As society’s use of technology has grown, our definition of interaction has expanded to include groupings formed through online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and text messaging.
As my thoughts have turned to these virtual networks and communities, my forms have become more abstract. Multiple parts within each sculpture are representational of how we, as individuals, “fit together” to form families, communities, organizations and society as a whole. In works such as Drift I use simplified abstract shapes in shades of white, grouping and piling, working with elements of light and form to emphasize slight differences within each piece. The small, simple components become part of a larger structure, just as individual human beings are part of the larger structure of society.
In my most recent works I use found objects in combination with multiple slip cast porcelain forms to create visual and contextual contradictions within the work. Bright acrylic knitted doilies act not only as a physical counterpoint to the smooth porcelain in material, color and form, but also create a conceptual contrast with their references to handicraft, nostalgia and an era when the internet, cell phones and “social networking” did not exist. The porcelain forms, created from re-purposed commercial molds or casts of common household items, become abstract formal objects that represent the transition from the personal to the impersonal in our virtual interactions.
chanda zea 