Kristen Tordella-Williams
Stack I: Corrosion
artist made black denim paper, bleach, glass, steel
72 x 12 x 12 in. | $8,000
My art questions deeply held assumptions of identity, gender, memory, and labor through process, materiality, symbolism, and action. Through each of my works, I endeavor to express the layers of the impressions left by our bodies on the environment around us and the reciprocal impressions our bodies hold from the wear and tear of living. I use many processes to create art, including paper making, iron casting, metal fabrication, drawing, printmaking, woodworking, performance, video, and collaboration, and choose each material and process carefully to include an attention to highly crafted final products that connote meaning through the history of their making and the chosen materials.
My works involve laborious repetition that results in final forms such as a cast iron representing used, tattered work pants or a tall stack of handmade paper that erodes as it is viewed. The repetition in my works show the memories inherent in our bodies that result from repetitive labor. I question how we process the past and present as well as how information is compiled in the digital age, often inviting the viewer to challenge their prejudices by presenting disgust and beauty through the use of highly crafted objects depicting charged images and materials such as cockroaches, bleach, or burnt books.
© Kristen Tordella-Williams