EXPO ‘Darcy Miro Sculptural Jewelry’ – Shibumi Gallery, Berkeley,CA (USA) – 2 Avril-29 Mai 2011

Please join us for a special opening:   Darcy Miro – Sculptural Jewelry 

April 02 – May 29, 2011
*Artist Reception:
Saturday, April 02, 4-7pm
Informal discussion about her process from 4-5pm

Darcy Miro will be in attendance and will talk about her work and process from 4-5pm and the opening will continue until 7pm. Darcy lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. One of her most known works is the collaboration of the facade of The American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Darcy has shown and sold work internationally.

Darcy Miro cuff

« My artistic practice focuses on jewelry, sculpture and functional objects because of the diverse challenges and connections between these disciplines for someone committed to working in metal. The challenge of working on shifting scales, moving between functional and non-functional art, and tailoring content to different forms are linked concerns for me. References to nature, architecture and the body are ever-present. Certain techniques, like piercing, constructing and collaging forms carry over. What is critical in all my work is the abstracted form, containing information and ideas. While a lot of what happens is intuitive and process based, underlying every piece is the belief that the natural markings and natural occurrences, man-made geometry and the human disposition to put things together in contexts, is a continuum, where all parts fit together no matter how disparate. As a life-long believer in “green,” practices, I think the connections between people, their creations and nature is a flow, which I am capturing. By composing forms from the various shapes and activities I observe in nature and life, I can tap into a huge well of sources. Thousands of ants swarming under a dead branch make tiny holes in the earth as they dig to escape. Leaves lying in a pile, slowly decompose, one becoming integral to another. A young woman’s skirt is short, medium and long, in an invented or perhaps accidental proportion. I observe the tiniest of incidents, translating the information with tools to wax. I pierce, pull and cut the wax altering the surface and interior. I obsess over every mark. Repetition is important for rhythm and connectivity. The controlled and random details are critical. The pieces of wax are then joined together, smoothly modeled, assembled or even destroyed so the parts can be rebuilt again. These forming activities add to the complexity of a shape, as well as it’s life and the experiences contained. A cuff may be flat with curved edges, or of big shifting shapes. Scale is critical to the work. While I make objects that are small, or can be added together to become big, and even huge, pieces can recall the shape of a volcanic eruption or a bubble in the sand. Once the wax is complete it is cast into metal, then the surface is buffed, polished, pickled or treated to many other processes I use to clean and unify a piece. I use different metals–sterling silver, bronze and 18-karat gold—depending on the project, for color, durability and texture. Transforming these variables into a coherent whole that can be worn on a wrist, finger, neck or ear is a matter of balance and judgment. Too much detracts from the wearer. Just enough is distinctive. Metal changes over time, particularly when it is worn and comes in contact with the body oils. Hence my pieces change their appearances. This ability to elude the fixation of time is important. So is the fact that every surface, inside and out is related, because they are of a piece like the skin of a snake. A mark is a memory of someone touching something, carrying all the information of that moment. » (Darcy Miro)

 

Shibumi Gallery
1402 Fifth Street
Berkeley . CA . 94710 (USA)
 t. 510.528.7736