Fafnir Adamites

Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Artist statement

Using weaving, papermaking and other traditional craft processes, I create sculptural and installation work that act as monuments and reminders of trauma, intuition and the legacy of emotional turmoil inherited from past generations. A major motivation in my artwork involves the theory that anxieties and traumas are embedded in a person’s DNA and are then passed down to the next generation. Using repetitious processes in the creation of the work allows me to physically engage with and meditate on the concepts I am working with. I work mainly with paper and felt which I call “chaos structures”. Unlike a woven textile which is based on an orderly grid, my chaos structures are open-ended and are based on a disorderly foundation. A powerful transformation takes place in papermaking and feltmaking when the millions of chaotic fibers bind together to make a strong, cohesive, singular piece. My studio practice relies on a kind of collaboration with these materials: They can be unpredictable at times and I find that the most satisfying results come after I allow the materials to have a say in their direction. Material exploration and discovering ways to embed meaning into the materials is the starting point for all of my artwork and plays a key role in building the conceptual backing of each piece. There is a Sisyphean element to both the physical labor and the conceptual ideas. Retracing the path of ancestors, repeating personal patterns, physically reenacting gestures –...

Artwork