Crafts
#animals #Liz Sexton #masks #paper #sculpture
April 28, 2023
Kate Mothes
All images © Liz Sexton, shared with permission. Photography in collaboration with Ben Toht
If you feel like a fish out of water, the saying goes, you’re probably feeling a little confused or uneasy. St. Paul-based artist Liz Sexton gives simile new meaning with recent marine-themed additions to her course series of papier-mâché masks, showcasing the distinctive faces of familiar creatures like walruses, manatees and polar bears that find their way onto dry land.
Sexton loves papier-mâché for its versatility and accessibility, using readily available additional materials like fabric, wire, and acrylic paint to create each animal’s unique textures, patterns, and colors. Including his upcoming solo exhibition Out of water at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, lifelike portable sculptures draw attention to a variety of beings that depend on aquatic ecosystems for survival. Barnacles and beluga whales are photographed against atmospheric backdrops by the artist’s partner and collaborator, Ben Toht, who captures each animal’s unique details and expressions.
Many of Sexton’s sculptures depict species that in their native habitats are under threat as they become increasingly entangled in nets and suffer the effects of the climate crisis. The delicate and often delicate balance between the man-made environment and natural ecosystems is highlighted in the photographs of the masks in atmospheric settings by artist partner and collaborator Ben Toht. The portraits playfully juxtapose the creatures with unusual locations like a grocery store freezer aisle, a campground, or a laundromat.
Out of water opens May 6 and runs through September 3 in Winona, and you can find more work on the artist’s website and Instagram.
#animals #Liz Sexton #masks #paper #sculpture
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