Sylvia Hollis - Artist’s Statement
Small figurative sculpture is my medium of choice for expressing thoughts and experiences of relationships, gender issues, and psychological states. I question my anxieties and how femaleness influences them. I try to understand dynamics between people and hope that others can use my sculptures to make their own sense of things. With nudity as a leveller, I create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, foregrounding the mindscapes of my characters. Figurative art that exists only for objectifiable beauty troubles me because I know how it feels to be a woman in a world where appearance has a disproportionate bearing on self-worth. Speaking in the language of human bodies, altered with literal and sometimes disturbing visual effects to expose mentality, I attempt to convey a need for empathy towards all people.
Small figurative sculpture is my medium of choice for expressing thoughts and experiences of relationships, gender issues, and psychological states. I question my anxieties and how femaleness influences them. I try to understand dynamics between people and hope that others can use my sculptures to make their own sense of things. With nudity as a leveller, I create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, foregrounding the mindscapes of my characters. Figurative art that exists only for objectifiable beauty troubles me because I know how it feels to be a woman in a world where appearance has a disproportionate bearing on self-worth. Speaking in the language of human bodies, altered with literal and sometimes disturbing visual effects to expose mentality, I attempt to convey a need for empathy towards all people.