In some strange future, Aggie Zed’s “Scrap Floats” take part in a procession of the eerie and the familiar. These parade floats are comprised of animals, human parts, mechanized gadgetry, and, well, other scraps. The mixed-media sculptures currently haunt the Rivermont Studio in Lynchburg, Virginia, where the show “ta da!” pairs Zed’s pieces with work from book artist Ginna Cullen.
After viewing Aggie Zed’s work, there are two facts about the artist’s childhood in Charleston, South Carolina, that may not surprise you: The first is that she rode horses and ponies from an early age, now evidenced in the species she often chooses for the sculptures. The other nugget is that her father was a TV repairman, providing their home with an endless amount of machine parts and contraptions.
The “Scrap Floats” series can be any mix of metal-winged mammals, wheels, or rusted tech, but Zed’s “Horses” line spotlights those gentle beasts that accompanied her on beach strolls as a child. The flesh of the makeshift animals is ceramic, with mixed metals used to fill out the majority of its structure. Zed has designed and constructed chess sets using ceramics, too, which provided another chance to depict the equine form.
The “Scrap Floats” prove to be her most dream-like creations, soldered and arranged in unsettling elegance. They exist in an alternate period, in which we’d look at this parade and marvel, while also wondering how we ever arrived here.
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Maurizio Savini has worked with chewing gum in his sculptures for more than 20 years. In that time, the artist has moved between Pop-influenced work, animal creations inspired by children’s tales, and more socially charged efforts. The Italian artist’s pieces, ranging handheld to massive in size, has been shown in gallery shows and exhibitions across the globe.
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