Undercurrents (full circle) is a multimedia piece that consists of a bird knit from 32 gauge copper, a ring of 32 gauge copper, and acrylic on canvas. The bird is 4in x 3.25in x 2in, the ring is 3in x 3in x 0.25in, and the canvas is 12in x 6in.
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Artist Statement
My work deals with the influence mental and physical illnesses have on day-to-day life and the execution thereof. Using birds and other creatures as stand-ins for myself, I personify the feelings of stress, anxiety, dysphoria, and exhaustion that come with chronic illnesses as both a means of communicating with those who are healthy and of decompressing of my own feelings. I work mainly in metals because of the versatility and interactiveness of the medium; formed by both hand and hammer, metal can be made into any size or shape based on outside forces acting on its internal structures as well as being extremely sensitive to its surroundings, changing colors and textures in relation to what is happening to it. This reactiveness and malleability, two words describing the opposite of the general perception of metal, makes it the perfect medium for this subject as it mirrors the perception of chronic illnesses, especially invisible ones.
Exhibitions
Gallery 100, Salvaging Simulacrum (April 3rd-7th, 2017)
Harry Wood Gallery, A Buncha Book Artists Annual Fall Show (October 3rd-21st, 2016)
Collections
ASU Special Collections, Vermilion Sands Exchange: Time, Narrative & the Multiple 2016
Vermilion Sands Exchange: Time, Narrative & the Multiple 2016 is a collection of zines done by the ASU Time, Narrative, and the Multiple mixed undergrad/graduate class. The basis of inspiration for this zine exchange was the book Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard, which is a collection of short science fiction stories. An edition of 16 with one copy of each 8in x 5in zine in collection at the ASU Hayden Library’s Special Collections and was shown at the Harry Wood Gallery during the A Buncha Book Artists Annual Fall Show from October 3rd-21st, 2016.
Pictured is my zine, which is inkjet on tissue paper bound with embroidery thread. To see the whole collection, it can be found both on the class’ website and upon request onsite at Special Collections.
the weight of living is an installation piece of thoracic elk vertebrae cut in half and concrete casts of the opposite side shown in the actual vertebrae. This piece has the dimensions of 2ft x 2ft x 5ft and was shown at Gallery 100 in Tempe, Arizona in the show Salvaging Simulacrum.
The Aftermath of Your Fear is an interactive sculpture wherein the audience is invited to take a feather, destroy it, and place it at the base of the pedestal. The bird has the dimensions of 20in x 22in x 12in. Shown at Gallery 100 in Tempe, Arizona in the show Salvaging Simulacrum.
e r r o r from Shay Harrelson on Vimeo.
Shay Harrelson 