Sarah Conti’s expressive ceramic birds migrate through social and environmental problems — Colossal



Art

#animals #birds #ceramics #climate crisis #Sarah Conti

In Latin, Memento mori roughly translates to « remember you will die » and has been used as a visual trope employed in art for centuries, often in the form of a skull. In 17th-century Vanitas still life paintings, other symbols such as hourglasses, clocks, unlit candles, fruit, flowers, or game were added as a constant reminder of the transience of life. By artist Sarah Conti, the nature of existence is as much a subject as the birds it sculpts. Existing in delicate balance within their increasingly endangered habitats, he says, « [Birds] it cannot evolve at the speed with which we are changing the world”.

Surrounded by family members who were avid birdwatchers, the artist traces her interest in feathered creatures to childhood. The more she learned, the more she admired the way birds have captured the imagination of mankind. Later, while she was enrolling at the University of Montana in Missoula, the onset of the pandemic made the school’s study spaces inaccessible, prompting her to be outdoors more often. She says, “All the time I spent in the studio turned into time spent in the wetlands and woodlands looking for birds. I had the time and access to see many new species, and it sparked so much interest and wonder in me. »

« (Immigration. » Photo by Rio Chantel

In 2020, Conti began to think more about human impact on the environment, as well as political and social issues, finding that the ubiquity of birds – and our endless fascination with the avian world – was an apt way to voice concerns criticisms. She refines the relationship between beauty and discomfort, highlighting the dualities of presence and absence or the seen and the invisible. For example, « Lost History of Women » illustrates how ornithological study has generally focused on males, paralleling the way women have been omitted from the human record.

Conti models distinctive birds from clay, often making dozens at a time for large-scale installations. For « (Im) Migration », he made 75 pieces in around 75 days, which were then given a surface treatment before being fired in the kiln. While each individual component can stand on its own as an independent work, Conti says, « I’m very interested in making sculptural installations as a way to tell a larger story, to speak to the grandeur of these issues, and to make the viewer feel enveloped I want viewers to think about how it relates to their presence and role in these issues.

Audubon recently commissioned a piece to be featured soon in the quarterly’s ongoing series Call The aviary, and next March Conti will be part of it Radius Gallery9th Annual Ceramics Invitational. Find out more about her website AND Instagram.

Detail of “(Im)Migration”. Photo by Rio Chantel

Black-winged Stilt, detail of « (Im)Migration ». Photo by Rio Chantel

« A (n extinct) fairy tale for tomorrow »

Detail of « A (n’extinction) fairy tale for tomorrow »

Detail of « A (n’extinction) fairy tale for tomorrow »

Two details of “A(n Extinction) Fable for Tomorrow”. Left: Common Nighthawk and extinct Eskimo Curlew. Right: Extinct Carolina parakeets

“Lost History of Women”

Ring-necked pheasant, detail from “Lost History of Women”

Red-naped soapsucker, detail from « Lost History of Women »

Redhead Duck, detail from “Lost History of Women”

#animals #birds #ceramics #climate crisis #Sarah Conti

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