Madeline Smith
Instrument for Connection and Compromise (Close Enough to Tickle)
Glass
38″ x 19.5″ x 16″
2020
$2,000
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Artist Statement
My goal as an artist is to defy existing expectations about glass. I aim to create work that carries a sense of mystery, making the viewer question how it came to be. My art is inspired by the patterns found in the visual languages of nature. I reimagine microscopic life forms on a large scale. I create compositions with repetition and rhythm. Rather than copy nature as it exists, I observe anatomical elements from disparate forms of life. I select, amplify, and augment minute detail, and merge them to create biological chimeras.
My work often explores the paradox of defense mechanisms in plants and animals. The glass object is perceived by the viewer as simultaneously fragile and menacing with its aggressive forms and sharp appendages. The threat inherent in the object is warranted by the very delicacy of the material. Fierce and delicate are contrasting qualities that I try to synthesize in my work.
