Aili Schmeltz

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Artist statement

Aili Schmeltz Artist Statement In my artistic practice, I explore the transformation of the Californian landscape through the lens of modern aesthetics using raw materials of environmental relevance. The work is centered conceptually around research and response to the landscape, environment, and history of the Los Angeles region. The bulk of the materials that I utilize are salvaged and repurposed from the area, and speak to hybridized structures and blatant artifice of the city in both its natural and man made environments. This process of research began with an interest in the history of the midwestern suburban landscape and culture from my youth, where the middle class idea of ‘the good life’ fueled a massive overhaul of the American landscape that would drastically alter how we live for generations to come. My complex relationship of both fascination and antipathy with Los Angeles has lead me to examine philosophies of utopia and idealism that are fundamental to the California Modern movement as it developed in the early-to-mid 20th century. The city’s wild west attitude during its boom, in concert with its architectural façadism and constant erasure of itself, dramatically shifted what I make and why. This world is designed to be viewed at a certain speed, and from a distance. This context inspired my sculpture to emulate hollywood set building strategies and techniques to manipulate ideas of permanence and scale shift. Inherent to the utopic quest of the American...

Artwork