SANDRA MUSS

2019 PULSE PROJECT ARTIST

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO HAVE TWO OF YOUR INSTALLATIONS AT PULSE ART FAIR THIS YEAR! COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, AS WELL AS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND PORTALS: DREAM OF FLIGHT AND OPEN DOORS?

I have been an artist all my life and I have lived as such. In the past years, I have been interested in studying the metaphorical threshold that exists between nature’s magical realm and our human presence. My work revolves between the notions of time passing, life cycles and portals. The journey through these entryways of the mind, whether my own — or, for that matter, anyone else’s — is a representation of the exploration of freedom, in the metaphorical and physical sense. It makes the notion of “breaking free” the point of departure for all of my artwork. 

Portals: Dream of Flight, 2018 is comprised of three large totemic sculptures made of corten steel cutouts of cicada wings inspired abstractions that wrap a rectangular mirrored steel column. They function as representations of nature’s perfection and at the same time they delve into the mental or physical act of soaring to other places. The cicadas’ glorious sounds are part of the installation.

 For Open Doors, 2019 I created an installation using seven, repurposed wooden doors with neon, mirrors and a sound component. These portals are about inclusiveness, openings and beginnings. Every time we approach a doorway it opens up the possibilities of new worlds either within or outside of oneself. I believe we need to think where we stand in terms of nature and humanity. The world needs us to re-purpose the way we connect, we live and create. I would say that overall, my main inspiration has been this ongoing relationship between nature and humankind. 

HOW HAVE YOU NOTICED YOUR PRACTICE EVOLVING OVER TIME? HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH CREATING SITE-SPECIFIC WORK AND WHAT HAVE YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATIONS BEEN?

At a very young age, I began mostly painting which became collages and assemblages, and grew larger and bolder. From my first plain air paintings to my site-specific tridimensional work, my main inspiration has always been the natural world. I intend to provoke emotional and psychological reactions from the viewers by connecting a wide array of materials that express time passing, decay, evolution and new beginnings. 

THE ART WORLD HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY IN THE PAST DECADE AND A HALF, HOW HAS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AND VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AFFECTED THAT WAY THAT YOUR ART IS VIEWED AND HOW YOU VIEW ART?

With no doubt, technology is a great aid and clearly it has gained an important presence in our daily lives but it can also be very distracting and detrimental if used wrongly. Personally, I sense that social media is taking over much of the promotional aspects of art and maybe distorting the way we connect with it, which in my opinion, should be a tangible experience. I acknowledge its easiness and democratic qualities, yet I am cautious to not have it take over my time nor the way I approach art making or art seeing. 

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS?

Definitely, one of my favorite artists is painter Joan Snyder and her gestural symbolism, as well as Rosemarie Trockel, one of the most important German conceptual artists. Speaking of German artists, Ansel Kiefer and Gerhard Richter have also been pivotal references in my art life along with Americans Richard Serra and Dan Flavin. Their works—each in its own unique way— have nurtured my career all along and I am grateful for the inspiration they bring.

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?

To follow my heart.

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT FOR YOU?

Upcoming this November 2019, I will participate in the group exhibition Americans in Florence, curated by Vitto Abba that will be held at the Stengel Collection in Palazzo Roselli del Turco in Florence, on the occasion of celebrating the bicentenary of the American Diplomatic presence in Florence, and am also working in preparation for a solo exhibition I have in February 2020 at Artscape Lab in Miam