Glass Rice is proud to present Cosmic Intermediaries, Shawna X’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery. In search of cosmos within humankind, Shawna explores the interconnectedness between herself, higher forms of collective consciousness, and our unbounded universe in this new body of work. Sculpture, video-work, paintings, and installation come together as visceral configurations communicating beyond spoken language; enveloping viewers in a physical environment shaped by fire, frit, paint, form, light, and color.
Inspired by talismans and auras, ascending glass sculptures hang in the street level window of the gallery- hand-blown glass orbs strung together by the artist herself. Oil paintings of glowing spheres and shapes against a deep well of black paint mimic their glass counterparts; born from iterations of glassblowing and early inspiration from AI. Traces of herself can be found in the lob-sided unevenness of the colorful glass orbs and the rough edges found in the asymmetry of her paintings, representing the deep connection to her sense of humanness through both processes; a stark contrast to the precision of the digital landscapes she’s used to making.
"Creating with hand and by hand comes from the core, the humanness. I see creating these small gestures as a way to reconnect to the universe. Humanness is cosmos, its wonder, its imperfections, creates its wholeness.” - Shawna X
In seeking a deeper understanding of the origins of spirituality and auras in relation to our physical world,Cosmic Intermediaries is a manifestation of the mind - joining manmade and computer-made to a higher source. In recognizing that everything she creates is connected, Shawna’s work succumbs to the act of letting the idea of control go and allowing the imperfections of humanity and randomness guide us closer to the cosmos.
