Inked Artist - A display of Ink's favorite artists

INKED ARTIST: Al[XANDRA BARAO

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"In my recent sculptural work, I have been exploring the role of the handmade object \YithintR!) cgntext()f a society in which all goods [have been using materials that have traditionally been categorized within the field of crafts: materials that are widely used for functional or decorative purposes such as yam, e.mbroidery beadS. J ajm to make jJ1a (101,1- #ft traditional, non-functional fashion, and in doing so, broaden the context in which we may think about them.

"For my 'Maod1tla' UlstaJlation I created a design similar to the traditionalfibetan Buddhist mandala, but instead of using sand, I used thousands of colorful plastic 'pony' beads, the archetypal material Of childhood crafts. Similar to the monks who create tIlese temporary designs Nom sand, r chose, rather than adhering the beads to a surface, to arrange them on the floor as my own meditation on the nature of impermanence. The piece existed physically for only a short time, and was ritualistically swept up in the Same manner as the $and mandalas;'