Bri Chesler

Lives and works in Seattle, WA, USA

Artist statement

Desire is an incredibly potent and pervasive force that has had a profound impact on human existence, shaping both our cultural and biological evolution. As a species, we have become increasingly fixated on indulging in pleasures and seeking out experiences that offer instant gratification, in the hopes of satiating the many voids that haunt our existence. Despite the overwhelming abundance in our lives, we are still plagued with a sense of emptiness - a void that can only be filled by moments of intimacy that toe the line between our carnal desires and the hunger for empathy. Drawing inspiration from the wild and erotic character of the natural environment, my sculptures are abstract forms found in both biology and botany, reflecting on cultural obsessions with beauty and desire. The aesthetic of my work is wild, excessive, and an overindulgent visual buffet of objects and textures displayed as infectious anatomies. My sculptures are meant to have an inviting and allusive quality, creating an invasively intimate encounter with the audience during their examination. Excessively textured and embellished facades act as a distraction from their pungently visceral contours, striving to capture the intoxicating lure of indulgence and the vulnerability it inflicts on our fragile nature. By creating sculptures that play with and mock the viewers' inability to control their attraction, I intend to capture the visceral experience of our carnal nature as freakishly alien and...

Artwork