ARTIST STATEMENT
As a contemporary multimedia artist, I explore art making through sculpture, mixed media, photography, LED light-based works, installation, ephemeral works & performance. My work frequently is relational to roles of women, the past, agriculture, nature, the environment, and urban topics. My sculpture is dominated by metal casting. I tease out fragility & frequently contrast it with the durability of metal. Site specificity together with digital photography play a critical role in my creative process. Cultivating familiarities with a narrative approach is the backbone of my conceptual process. Surrealism & feminism influence my practice while also layering personal, or somewhat autobiographical memories. Utilizing both historic and contemporary viewpoints, I developed a contemporary multi-generational interpretative process which incorporates broad cultural memories driven by popular culture, branding and cultural expectations play a role in critical examinations, tasks & outcomes. I allow nostalgia to bloom into familiarities & blend together with humorous and playful aspects of life while addressing some of the more serious outcomes of life. Diversity of topics has led me to integrate social and cultural constructs, to build and reveal connections developing those narratives and familiarities. I frequently incorporate social memory and documentation of disappearing aspects of life while expanding ideas or concepts to include larger topics relating to changing cultural and physical landscapes as well as gender shifts. Utilizing natural materials to highlight and express shifts play an important part of my metal casting & multidisciplinary practice. The piece submitted for this exhibition is a digital modification to an experimental sculpture using a barbie body. The black and white strips represent the original outfit Barbie wore when she was released in 1959.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born and practicing art in Colorado. BFA from University of Colorado Denver – Masters from the Maryland Institute of Art. Working from her studio in the RiNo Art District in Denver, Laura exhibits extensively in juried and invitational exhibitions nationally and internationally. Laura has the opportunity to extend studies in Ireland, Nepal and Hawaii. She has had 24 solo exhibitions and has work in numerous collection and public spaces. Social engagement projects ongoing include The Art in the Everyday Community Quilt Project and 1100 Pieces. She runs a contemporary gallery and has completed a curatorial residency at Otis College in Los Angeles.
© Laura Phelps Rogers