Page 66 - Wax Fusion Spring 2022 Issue 6 WIP v19
P. 66
Sweet and Sinister
Rebecca Stevenson
Searching for the avant-garde in contemporary wax and
encaustic artmaking is challenging and subjective. Although
the term “avant-garde” was originally applied to innovative
approaches to art making in the 19th and early 20th Centuries,
it is applicable to all art that pushes the boundaries of ideas
and creativity and is still used today to describe art that is
radical or reflects originality of vision.
Rebecca Stevenson’s work can be shocking in its juxtaposition
of content within masterfully-modeled structure. In this
interview, the artist explains her intent and influences and
shares her processes with Wax Fusion readers.
We’d like to open with a quote from the catalogue of your recent
solo exhibition, Bacchanale, at the James Freeman Gallery in
London:
“Stevenson’s specialism is wax, an ancient but often
overlooked sculptural medium. The history of wax is deep,
from the lost wax processes used in bronze sculpture dating
back to the Egyptians in antiquity and its use in the creation of
death masks since Roman times, through to the wax portrait
pictures of the 16th and 17th centuries, and as a medium for
anatomical models from the 17th century onwards ... In all
instances, wax is related to the body and to the ephemerality of
flesh…”
There is a Spell in Every Sea-shell
Wax and polyester resin
46 x 35 x 30 cm
Also featured on the front cover.
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