Keep Me Shiny

The history of sculpture is full of perfect bodies. The marble statues of Italy and Rome come to mind quickly when considering historical figures.  “Keep Me Shiny” is a bronze cast of an ordinary bum in plaster and cast in bronze in a traditional process. The edges of this sculpture show the texture of plaster being cut and broken. This also refers to a tradition of broken sculptures and alterations throughout time.  

My admiration for historical sculptures lives with me and within my sculptures as a lineage that isn’t forgotten. However, this sculpture is silly; the title invites you to touch it. A metal bum inviting viewers to touch the sculpture is silly but inescapable from history. Bronze sculptures throughout time have their patinas rubbed for luck (like the nose of the boar sculpture in Florence, Italy) from being sat on or from the public (sculpture of French Revolution writer Victor Noir in Paris) or doing whatever they want that makes sense for the sculpture. 

I love working with bronze so much that I invite you to touch the art, rub the patina off this sculpture, and laugh about how silly it is because the intersection of history and contemporary art is gorgeous but also hilarious.