Aurora Robson

Lives and works in Chester, NY, USA

Artist statement

My practice is a form of serious play. I work in a variety of mediums, but have dedicated the majority of the past twenty years to working with post-consumer and post-industrial plastic. Integrating play is essential in order to continually transform plastic debris into art for over two decades. My work is a meditative exercise in subjugating negativity, cultivating rational optimism and practicing radical acceptance. Throughout my career, I’ve been illustrating formal aspects of recurring nightmares I had as a child through my art practice, while developing techniques to highlight the potential of post-industrial and post-consumer plastic as a viable art medium instead of a toxic waste nightmare for all the living creatures on this planet. Plastic pollution, a global nightmare, is an insidious, destructive material that continually enters our water, food chain, bloodstreams, and the air we breathe. It is more appropriate for art and design applications than the vast majority of applications for which it is being used today. In art, the longevity of this material becomes an asset. Working with other people’s post-consumer plastic (bottles, barrels, buckets, caps, and other plastic items) allows me to engage with people and communities so that I can help create the conditions for hope through art.

Artwork