Artists Statement:I strive to develop work that evokes a tangible experience; not just passively viewing a representation, but introducing yourself to something that exudes the vastness of the natural world, a vital object.I explore the spaces betwe…

Artists Statement:

I strive to develop work that evokes a tangible experience; not just passively viewing a representation, but introducing yourself to something that exudes the vastness of the natural world, a vital object.

I explore the spaces between the fantasy and reality of our natural world to discover and highlight where they most intersect. Taking notes from scientific research and examining imagery of living organisms in both the micro and macroscopic scale assists me in the hunt for repetitive patterns, textures, and related similarities within their life cycles and appearances. These findings influence sculpture that does not seek to imitate a living organism of a previous or present domain, but establish organic possibilities. I am especially intrigued with life forms that thrive in extreme and purportedly inhabitable places and their commonly uncommon adaptations to survive in such conditions.

In practice, I've found stone and metal to be excellent conversation partners in this endeavor. Thrust up from within the earth itself, the minerals and ore have so much they can look back on and choose to grace us with, offering glimpses of their primal nature as they are beaten, chipped, ground, and hewn. I appreciate the perspective permanence of these materials and the weight a casting or carving carries in the fossilization of a moment within the life of a creature bound up inside it's existence.

Ultimately I seek to delight the senses; inciting playful, curious exploration and the urge to wonder what exists in the universe still unacknowledged, while pondering what those inward incitements can mean for our time here. I imagine my work to create discomfort and nostalgia, a sense of something mysteriously familiar that reaches into the deep, dark spots in our collective memory that steer our perceptions of what does and doesn't necessarily belong in our world.

Biography:

Cyrra Robinson was born and raised in Missoula, Montana before she moved to Washington in 2011. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture focusing on Metalwork and Stone Carving with an emphasis in Psychology and Biology. She spent the remainder of her undergraduate career at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington after a year at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. Her work is currently publicly displayed in Washington, Vermont, and Montana. Two of her sculptures are permanently installed at The Evergreen State College in partnership with the Washington State Arts Commissions Collection. Her work is also included in the city of Olympia's public art collection, previously featured in front of City Hall before permanent installation in downtown Olympia. She has participated in four solo exhibitions and thirty-five group and duo exhibitions in Oregon, Florida, California, Montana, Washington, and Vermont. She currently resides and works at her studio in Olympia, WA. She is a member of the Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton, WA. She is the Fine Arts Director and teacher at South Sound Dance in Tumwater, WA.