ARTIST STATEMENT
I explore spiritual abstraction through organic forms, patterns, and symmetry. I am most interested in giving physicality to what cannot be seen. Drawing from personal lived experiences, dreams, and synchronicities, I create work that celebrates the interconnectedness of all living things. Working primarily with steel, I am drawn to the weight, permanence, and physicality of the material as a counterpoint to the ephemeral nature of the spiritual ideas I explore. My process involves meticulously burning individual holes into the surface of sheet metal, building images through repetition, perforation, and accumulation. Each mark contributes to a larger composition, creating visual fields that reference unseen energies. Each panel is accompanied by a custom steel frame that is forged and fabricated. The frame functions not only as a structural element but also as an extension of the image itself, completing the piece and transforming it into a devotional object.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Shay Soukup is an American metalsmith, artist, and designer working out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her work explores the underlying structures that shape our natural world using meditative and visionary practices. Through cutting, forging, and fabricating steel, she translates organic principles into sacred forms. Her relationship with metal is informed by traditional techniques in both blacksmithing and steel fabrication. She earned her BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2024, followed by two years working in structural steel fabrication in Pittsburgh. Soukup received an Emerging Artist Award from the Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Her work is held in private collections throughout North America and has been exhibited in galleries and outdoor exhibitions across the United States.
© Shay Soukup