Juliana Cerqueira Leite
The Climb is also the Fall, 2011, Silicone, rubber, glass matting string, polymorph plastic, 91 x 51 x 51 inches
I consider myself primarily a sculptor. I find this is the medium that allows me to question most effectively how human being and the human form are represented. My works are investigations into will, the body’s physical translation of will, and the material world. Letting the body guide and limit the process of creating form I am seeking a way of breaking the visual syntax of figurative representation approaching a broader image of physical being. Most of my recent work originates from simple yet physically demanding experiments that aim to delineate notions of space, possession or direction as associated with the body. Works often start from action schemes such as ‘move up’ or ‘pull in,’ reflecting our relationship to physical reality. Influenced by 18th-20th century scientific concepts and recent popular science I also make use of photography, drawing, and video to destabilize perceptions of the body’s form, function and physical boundaries. I feel that it is important to question the status quo between artist and his/her tools and materials. Therefore, I have begun working without tools, using traditional sculpture materials like plaster and clay in large, challenging volumes that I find counteract their innate formlessness.
View the artist's exhibition here.