UPCOMING GARWOOD-SKALA GALLERIES

AS THE DAYS PASS

SYDNIE WALDRON

MAY 16 - JUN 24

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Sydnie just graduated from Hastings College with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and High Distinction in Studio/ Digital Art. Sydnie works in multiple media forms including mixed media, textiles, painting, and scultpure. Sydnie Waldron (b. 2000, Alliance, NE) is a queer artist currently living and working in Hastings, Nebraska. Her practice explores liminality and liminal bodies, focusing on feelings and spaces of instability through the medium of soft sculpture and mixed media. Her work has been exhibited in solo shows at the Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance, Nebraska, and they have curated several shows at the Carnegie as well. They have been published in a multitude of online magazines, and have an upcoming solo show at the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center during the spring of 2023.

ARTIST STATEMET:

As the Days Pass is a multimedia exploration that spans time, relationships, and the things we hold close. Photography, printmaking, installation, and soft sculpture combine to create a landscape born of memory, and begin to carve a path forward. There are four bodies of work that make up this show. The Cells Series is comprised of amorphous cell-like structures that rely on one another for support. The cellular forms are used as subtle indicators of life, and are able to extract specific memories from the thrifted materials they are made up of. This harvesting of memory allows deep anxieties and jubilation to surface in each piece. The Parlor is an installation made up of seven figurative soft sculptures, five sitting in a half circle together and two set apart from the others. Each is also displayed with its own set of found objects and furniture. Alongside one another, they confront topics surrounding mortality and the inevitability of the human condition. Through provocatively comedic forms, they aim to bring balance to chaos, and understand and make peace with life and death. The printmaking portion of this exhibition includes techniques in silkscreen, linoleum/wood cut, and intaglio printmaking. The central subjects of the work are long limb-like creatures, which are derived from my experimentations in soft sculpture. Throughout the series, these creatures can be seen in a variety of scenarios. From protectively holding gemstones, to searching longingly in the darkness, these creatures are stand-ins for us, and show what it is to grapple with faith, love, and humanity. The Liminal Photography Series is an exploration of the liminal spaces that have surrounded me the last few years, and how they have changed over time. The genre of liminal photography has seen a boom in the last few years, primarily in the online space. It often features transitional spaces, such as doors and hallways, and contains elements of nostalgia and loneliness, triggering memories for many people. The spaces are notably void of humans, but contain evidence that humans had been there at one time. Often, dim lighting and eerie spaces produce feelings of dread. My work with liminal spaces thus far has focused on two primary spaces that were once booming, but are now abandoned, or host far fewer people than they once did: Hastings College in Hastings, NE, and the Conestoga Mall in Grand Island, NE.