From Sarah: Tilted by the weight of her corticosteroid crown of stars, the sorrowful mother’s head droops over her sacred heart pierced by syringes empty of vaccine, and her foot has slipped from the neck of the serpent of capitalism, while the angel below presents his battle flag which reads, “The Opposite of Love Is Not Hate, It Is Apathy.”
I felt this sentiment even more profoundly as we entered a winter of omicron and outrage, willfully embracing ignorance in favor of celebrating commercialism, putting presents and feasting ahead of protecting human life.
As a severely immunocompromised person, this pandemic has become a seemingly endless nightmare of immense loss, and I worry that the joyful whimsy has left my work when my love for thy neighbor has become fear.
Size: 36" x 18" x 18"
Photos by Corbin Wesler Photography LLC
Our Lady is a mixed media soft sculpture; hand-sewn, needle-felted, and wire-articulated dolls stuffed with love & fears, faith & tears (but mostly polyester fiberfill).
Materials include: anatomical heart stress squeezie; angel wings; cardboard stars; chaplet rosary; classroom globe; coarse glitter; crushed medication; hand-dyed alpaca hair and wool roving; hand-embroidered and appliqued flag; l.e.d. candles; metal flames; paper straws; plastic eyelashes, safety eyes, and tear drops; poured paraffin; powdered eyeshadow; ribbon roses; serpent custom fabricated from play currency; synthetic fabrics; 1ml syringes with quilting pin blood drops; wicker thorns; wood base.
About the artist: My practice is a thematic exploration of consumption-related dysthymia, currently focused on the (mis)placement of adoration. I create mixed media soft sculpture ornamented with repurposed novelty refuse that engage the fetishization of religious imagery while introducing questions of taste, feminine labor, and prescriptive reliance on the nondurable. My pieces convey elements of humor and irony by using traditional, labor-intensive processes to reinterpret disposable, mass-produced materials with the notion of reassigning value to nugatory consumer goods. I can be found online at Uncommon Nonsense.