Lena Wolek

About

Artist statement

My art investigates the range of ideological, social, economic and political fundamentals of rapid contemporary global development. Having grown up in a small town in Siberia where folk customs are still the norm, and then adapting to cosmopolitan Los Angeles, I observe and analyze the recent and rapid changes in both societies. This allows me the unique ability to integrate observations of value and loss in both social contexts in order to critique the comparative mentality and cultural attitudes between the two with the aim of gaining greater global understanding. These conceptual formulations are visually translated and expressed through drawings, ceramics, sculptures, videos, and installations. In addition to contemporary formal aesthetics the work incorporates old craft techniques such as sewing, weaving, and pottery that have been utilized out of necessity for centuries by common folk for simple livelihood. Discarded postconsumer materials employed in my work are reflecting fascination with the immediacy of contemporary consumer culture with its aspects of production, consumption and then waste. Addressing the contemporary topic of basic recycling of items formerly thought of as trash is a reminder of the forgotten practice of repurposing items out of necessity. This purposeful artistic action ultimately turns rather grim waste materials into a playful and redeeming process of continued transformation and wonder.