Overbred again
Introducing “Acephala Mater.” Titled with the Latin for "Headless Mother," this new sculpture hearkens back to my “Overbred” series of creatures that take domestication to ridiculous extremes. This three-legged, three-teated, non-capitated, minimized bovine form serves as a raw anatomical metaphor for the contemporary American mother. It is a creature defined by its utility and aesthetic expectations but has no voice and no agency. It has the illusion of mobility via its three legs, but their orientation wouldn’t actually allow for movement. Instead it stands like a senseless monument on its industrial concrete floor.
Those are the words I’ve found so far to encapsulate observations, lived experiences, and stories embodied by this piece.
Words can only get you so far. Part of the reason I’m a sculptor is that it suits me to express complex concepts through visual media so that multiple meanings and associations can arise. Everyone sees the world through the lens of their own experiences and beliefs, and an artwork can help crystallize thoughts and emotions. (Other reasons why I’m a sculptor are that making three-dimensional objects and physical problem solving are my most natural skills, albeit ones I’ve honed over years of practice).
I’m curious to learn how others will react to this sculpture. I expect a fair number of breast-related comments because our American culture is so obsessed with them—at least the sexual dimension of them. But I want to see how the conversation might go beyond that and even into territory I haven’t already observed. A joy of creating tangible objects and releasing them into the world is that they can have a life and meaning beyond that which I’ve imagined.
On the technical side, I really challenged myself with this one in terms of the actual fabrication after working out the imagined anatomy; it required a unique structural armature (thanks to Obelisk Applied Arts for the welded steel form) and includes Pal Tiya concrete sculpting medium for the base and resin for the hooves along with wool. I aimed for hyperrealism and a sense of potential movement. At 30 inches tall it’s about the size of a medium dog, and really takes up its space.
I’ll bring this sculpture with me to the Startup Art Fair in L.A. from February 27-March 1st, where I’ll get to observe and interact with visitors to my “gallery” set up in room 235 at the Kinney Venice Beach. I may need to report back on what I learn about what I created.
