JOAN HARMON
Artist Statement
I work with hybridity, seeking to capture transformations that occur when two unrelated forms combine and produce something new. In sculpture, as in poetry, the function of the real and the unreal are made to cooperate, creating a new reality. The framework of these liminal spaces offers unique interpretations of the human experience and our relationship with nature.
My work is tied to the landscape, as a concept and a physicality. Growing up on a farm in North Dakota is deeply influential to the core roots of my artwork. The sharp geometric lines of the flat farmland of the great plains left me yearning for curvilinear forms and otherworldly creations. These biomorphic and anthropomorphic forms continue to realize themselves in my practice.
Earth, fire, and water are essential to my process. These natural elements inform my choice of the medium, the matrix, and the imagery chosen for each series. I work with diverse materials like clay, fire, glass, and charcoal, often incorporating light and sound to create visceral, sensory experiences that are at once universal and intimate. They rely upon the intangible qualities of our human experience like memory, dream, and connection.
My work ranges from object-making to experiential in scale and is tied to our bodies and the earth. The hybrid forms I create are explorations of the connectivity and relationships between history, science, and humanity. The time depth of human existence and the prescient human need to create symbols are themes that are often incorporated into the work. These ideas emerge as vessels, feminine archetypes, fragmented manmade objects, and interior spaces that are disrupted and/or infiltrated by the landscape.