Relief Sculpture

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

3D Design

3 March 2021

In my artwork, I wanted to carry the themes of my sustained investigation from the first semester into a 3D piece. Specifically, I wanted my art to be a commentary on body positivity and acceptance in general. There are a few levels on which I did this. First, I decided to mimic the unique forms of fertility sculptures, which are a tradition in many ancient cultures. They represent goddesses or entities, and were used to promote women’s fertility during childbirth. Essentially, these sculptures highlight the beauty of women’s bodies, and the fact that our bodies have the goddess-like ability to literally create and nurture life. One example of a well-known fertility sculpture is the Venus of Willendorf. Additionally, I created these sculptures out of vegetables and fruits. I hoped that this unique choice of material would convey to the viewer that like potatoes, yams, carrots, and apples, we as humans all come from the same place, are all equal, and all imperfect. Overall, I really just wanted to illustrate organic beauty in an unconventional and impactful way.

As I previously stated, I used a variety of foods to create this work. I carved sculptures out of potatoes, apples, carrots, and yams, and then crafted pedestals out of the corresponding vegetables/fruits. Once I had decided which type of food to use, I used a few different size knives to carve away pieces of the vegetable to unveil the figure that I saw within! I really tried to keep the general shape of the vegetable, and follow/take advantage of its natural curves and shapes. In this way, I felt that my overall message would be clearer. I finished by arranging the foods into a shape that I felt highlighted the best curves and most realistic forms.

I used a number of processes to produce this work. First, I decided to focus on form. To do so, I emphasized the original shape of the vegetables, so that this element of organicness would be carried through to the finished product. I also had to experiment with the arrangement of the individual sculptures, and pay attention to the space between them. I wanted there to be just enough space to create contrast and outline the statues nicely, but not so much that they appeared disconnected. Overall, I am really happy with this work. It was out of my comfort zone, but ended up being really inspiring.

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