Rebecca Salmon

Rebecca

Photo by Maddie Cordoba

Artist Statement

Much like an altered reflection in a funhouse mirror, my work as a whole is subjectively menacing. Many of my pieces are abject and realistic representations of flesh and hair. These elements are familiar, yet when used in my pieces, can inspire strong feelings of repulsion and unease due to their displacement, magnification, and surreal distortion. I source my work from my issues of body perception, gender rituals, and the objectification of the human form. By isolating and warping individual body parts in my art, I simulate dissociation between the audience and their own bodies.

My work strives to expose how absurd and universal ruminating about our body’s failures can be. By replicating and becoming familiar with these failures, I forgive myself for my own bodily imperfections. These pieces are a representation of my own healing. Though they are morbidly visceral, they are made with care and intimacy. I see my work as restorative, humorous, and calming—and seek to share that with others. I want my pieces to be harmless oddities—strange and unpleasant, yet lacking in aggression. I hope to take my anxieties and create a strong, emotional presence with which audiences can bond. What was at first horrifying transforms into a thing of beauty and comfort.

Bio

Rebecca Salmon was born in 1994 and raised on Long Island and currently lives and works in Manhattan. She graduated from NYU in 2016 with a BFA in Studio Art and a concentration in sculpture. Her sculptures and sound installations explore body perception, physical rituals, and the objectification of the human form. Rebecca has presented her work in galleries such as Art Centro (Poughkeepsie, NY) and the National Arts Club (NYC). She has previously participated in shows at 80WSE Gallery (NYC) including Language of the Birds: Occult and Art and The Magic Flute, a production in association with CHEAP Kollektiv and 80WSE. She has also shown her works at the Commons and Rosenberg galleries at NYU. Rebecca, an interdisciplinary artist, has studied special effects makeup and is also a trained vocalist and actor. She has taught various art classes at the Artist’s Institute at Friends Academy and at NYU’s High School Art Intensive.

Rebecca Salmon’s work was included in “Allure – Delicious and Profound” curated by Tiffany M. Apostolou.  Download exhibition catalog (PDF)

Interview

Screen Shot 2017-02-16 at 2.48.11 PM
Christopher Minafo in conversation with Rebecca Salmon

Selected Works

"Goosed," 2014 Polymer clay, synthetic hair, oil based makeup, tin tray 2 x 9 x 6 inches
“Goosed,” 2014
Polymer clay, synthetic hair, oil based makeup, tin tray
2 x 9 x 6 inches
"Peel and Slick," 2016 Vivak plastic, LA Looks hair gel 24 x 84 x 120 inches
“Peel and Slick,” 2016
Vivak plastic, LA Looks hair gel
24 x 84 x 120 inches
"Piehole," 2016 Parrafin wax, petroleum dyes, strawberry scent, gelatin, wood 84 x 60 x 60 inches
“Piehole,” 2016
Parrafin wax, petroleum dyes, strawberry scent, gelatin, wood
84 x 60 x 60 inches
"Piehole," 2016 (detail) Parrafin wax, petroleum dyes, strawberry scent, gelatin, wood 84 x 60 x 60 inches
“Piehole,” 2016 (detail)
Parrafin wax, petroleum dyes, strawberry scent, gelatin, wood
84 x 60 x 60 inches
"Zephyr Pond," 2015 School glue, hair gel 28 x 48 inches
“Zephyr Pond,” 2015
School glue, hair gel
28 x 48 inches