LAUREN KALMAN: PLEASURE AND PAIN IN GOLD
…Her visual training and influences started at a young age. She later stated choosing the body as a subject was a “logical transition” due to her previous studies as a metal-smith. In the same interview she explained her MFA training plays a large role in her current work, due to in-depth studies of conceptual practices, physical computing, digital imaging, and digital video. She sees her work as a different type of exploration of metal-smithing, and is more interested in conceptual work, rather than the traditional practice of metals and jewelry making. Her long-term ideas have connected body image, media, class, and style; the visual importance she places in these ideas is often juxtaposed by how our visual world expresses the same ideas. These two forms of expression typically fight against each other creating compelling and uncomfortable images and short films. She has continued to separate herself from the rest by addressing cultural taboos and pushing the boundaries of what it means to put body and mind in her artwork.
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