2009 MFA Artist: Nicole Gibbs

Nicole Gibbs's Artist Statement

In the past, I held reason and logic above intuition in understanding reality.  But now I question the limits of this way of thinking, and submit myself to my curiosity, aesthetic instincts, and personal “gut feelings” about my art making and life.  I have struck out in search of territories within that lie unknown or unincorporated. Fragments lay scattered throughout the land, waiting to be reclaimed. 

In literal form, these fragments are gathered up and assembled into poignant arrangements.  I repurpose found materials—stained plastic, wood shavings from making veneer, bits of paper and fabric, discarded architectural plans—and combine them with highly crafted, handmade elements. 

The markings on each component are either chaotic/random, geometric/analytical, or realistic/representational.   Liquid, triangle, bird.  Ruffle, rectangle, nest.

Their interaction is determined by the circumstances that connect them.  Sometimes it is just a piece of tape, surface tension, or balance that holds them together; in other cases, they are sewn or sculpted into one.   Temporary or permanent, new relationships are created.

I hope that by combining these parts into sensitively conceived groupings, a marriage is made.  Craft is wed to intuition.  Labor is wed to chance.  Reason is wed to instinct. 

A new practice is born.   

[Return to 2009 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition page.]