Autumn Bree

Using the anthropomorphizing of staphylococcus bacteria and juxtaposition of expressed moods, this piece considers the nature of interaction within social settings, and and how behavior within a group can be infectious.

Contagion is a part of a larger series, Microcosm, using microorganisms as allegory for human existence, and was completed in late 2018, using epoxy clay, glass, and oils. Since the pandemic, viewers have mused at these works being “so 2020”. With the popularity and present relevance of this piece, these guys will be reproduced as magnetic, interactive individual art toys to be collected; for sale soon at the San Jose Museum of Art shop.

Microcosm is a small-scale rendition modeling a larger body of work, using microorganism as allegory, to discuss the nature of human existence in this contemporary world.

This electronic interactive piece was originally created in a 6” x 6” cube for showing at the Compound Gallery’s Admiral Dot Miniature Gallery, in February 2019. A custom box display (with bonus tardigrade) was created for the patron who purchased the work.

In this age of fast-paced living inundated with distractions, we have become fragmented, distanced from our most defining human need, to connect. It is only through inter and intrapersonal exploration, that we can truly become more mindful and better equipped to overcome these feelings of disconnectedness.

The means in which we first learn about ourselves, the groups we are a part of, and the world we live in, is through the act of play. It is the open approach to experiencing our world, driven by our desire to understand, gain and connect. Play allows us to let down our guards and open up to new or difficult concepts we may otherwise overlook. It was Greek philosopher Plato, who said, “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

In this series, traditional toy forms and functions act as experiential tools, bringing adult viewers back to moments of developmental learning through play. The sculptural works offer insight into how we relate to social stimuli, while working collectively to tell the stories that illustrate the internal and external struggles we face daily. Through a Tunnel (Social Anxiety), takes on the form of a large kaleidoscope conveying the feelings of anxiety that can often prevent us from fully engaging.  Dysfunction (Group Dynamics), similar to the toy, barrel of monkeys, encourages the contemplation of contribution within a group structure. Social Shells (The Psyche), uses the allegory represented by nesting dolls as a reflection of the struggle to balance our internal contrasting components as we grow and are affected by our social worlds. 

In order to progress our understanding and overcome this contemporary plight of disconnectedness, we must now create the willingness and space for reflection and exploration. For, without the awareness of who we are individually and collectively within this new, human culture, really, what are we playing at? (2016)

Taking on the form of a large kaleidoscope, this piece conveys the feelings of anxiety that can often prevent us from fully engaging. The wood references traditional toys, warmly inviting engagement; while the anxious color scheme of the ominous figural shapes create a rotating social mirage.

Mixed media interactive/kinetic sculpture: Steel, wood, glass, plexiglass, resin & pigment, additional hardware. 64" X 30" X 72" (2016).

Unable to adapt to swiftly changing conditions, Humanity exists on a fragmented, autonomous level, struggling to effectively interact for a collective purpose. Here, the viewer is invited to contemplate the causality of individual contribution within a group structure in order to build a better world by culturing cooperation.

Dysfunction is an interactive discussion inspired by group dynamics, where the viewer can join the conversation through participation. There are three gestural variations amongst the monkeys representing potential group members in the stages of full investment, uncertainty, and rebellion. By choosing the placement of each figure into the centralized group cluster, the participant aids or damages the structure, mirroring real-life scenarios where one’s attitude and engagement determines the success or failure of a group.

The representational toy forms reference learning through play and repetition, while the monkeys allude to the necessary adaptability a group must have in order to achieve their goals. The facial expressions speak to the static nature of groups by the use of raw, gestural line work. The installation as a whole, creates a live-action allegory of a group, where individuals affect and are being affected by each other.

 Out From Within (The Psyche), uses the allegory represented by nesting dolls as a reflection of the struggle to balance our internal contrasting components as we grow and are affected by our social worlds. The individual figures are inspired by the Jungian principles of persona, ego, shadow, and self.

Mixed Media Sculpture: Hand-made polymer resin paper clay, polymer clay, pigment. 46" x 72" x 30" (2015).

Here reflects the separation we feel from one another within this fast-paced social climate. Although we try to seek connection using social networking and other technologies, we find ourselves further distanced. If only we could break down these walls and remedy this disconnectedness.

The armature for Here was carved from a sandwiched foam block with a chainsaw over the course of three evenings, then roughly coated with plaster prior to being encased in a fabricated plexiglass cube. The piece stands 35" in the round (2016).

Over time, humans have collected a number of rules leading to the notion of taboos. Beneath the wider, cultural barriers, how do we still feel shame when performing small, private acts? It's as though we are birds caught in the moment, caged by concepts crafted of our own making.

Each caged figure stands 8" x 5" x 5", composed of polymer clay, acrylic paint, feathers, and additional found objects. (2016)

Vermin conveys the feeling of being discarded by society; invisible, unwanted, and grotesque. The figure is flexible, flinging its legs and upper body upwards when stepped on. When installed in pathways, viewers may choose to step over, go around, or step on the figure. 

Mixed media: foam, wire, wood, polymer clay, acrylic, fabric (2014).

Mixed media, animatronic installation about the apocalyptic sensationalism of the media. Part of an all-female identifying installation art exhibition in the historic Steinfeld Warehouse (2014).

Created for a bicycle-themed exhibition benefiting a local non-profit, After the Nuts Have Bolted uses metaphor, humor, and the grotesque to represent the feeling of losing control, lost in futile, repetitive endeavors. 

Mixed media, 24" x 24" x 12" (2014).

Temporary sculptural installation on campus of The Art Center Design College in Tucson. 

Weather-proofed Plaster 6' x 2.5' x 1' (2007).

To illustrate the internal emotional process the artist undergoes in the last moments of finishing a project, I painted nine consecutive sixty-minute self-portraits in oil over the period of one night (after purposely staying up the prior night in preparation), while recording the process. The completed pieces were then displayed the next morning, with a time-lapse video of the actual process projected over head.

Oil on canvas boards, 11" x 14" each (2007).

Kinetic mixed metal sculpture from found materials. 18" x 24" x 24" (2007).