Ry Nielsen

ARTIST STATEMENT

While I explore notions of monstrosity in my assemblages — spatial, emotional or social — the essence of my work is always managed chaos. I begin with distinct imagery in mind, but my sketches and maquettes quickly diverge. My gameplan for works in progress definitely evolves as they take shape. Instead of form following any intellectualized concept, I synthesize those elements that demand most attention. So, by reaction, my artwork is also creating me…

Transmutation fascinates me, hence my deconstructed vessels and apparently random consortiums of shards in totemic guise. I’m also poking fun at my adolescent preoccupations with National Geographic and Treasures of King Tut snarcheology — crafting what might, if excavated some day, elicit puzzlement. I’m profoundly intrigued (and amused) by the conundrums that context and misperception conjure.