Narissah Revealed, Wendy Mike, Mixed Media
Artist Statement
I am besotted with love for the human form, specifically emanations of the figure in motion. My attempt is to create and portray a kind of gestural language: a vocabulary of postures. Necessity and intent cause me to seek out and perfect the use of non-traditional, low-tech materials. Natural fabrics, such as silk in this case, I find mostly in thrift stores. Fabric has been used to protect and embellish the body for millennium, achieving its expressive apex in womenâs clothing. The medium references the female; the work is inherently feminist. I begin by sculpting an anatomically detailed figure for use as a model on which to cast the fabric. When complete, the sculpture is less about the dress and more about the body it describes. With the body absent, the essence of the physical form, the âspiritâ of the individual is present, yet free of âidentity.â Beauty is cherished and consciously coaxed from every sculpture I make. Just as it is impossible to throw back oneâs head with chest and arms open to the sky and simultaneously experience depression, beauty works irresistibly on the soul