Sophia Ruppert

Lives and works in Lincoln, NE, USA

Artist statement

Sophia Ruppert “In the process of being broken open, worn down, and reshaped, an uncommon tranquility can follow. Our undoing is also our becoming.” –Terry Tempest Williams Life leaves behind physical and mental residue. Some of these remnants are precious while others are tragic. Regardless of its origin, this residue can be made beautiful. Remnants of the materials and objects that surround us chronicle our history as complex individuals. My sculptures investigate my own physical and mental residue to dissect and examine my personal history. To reach the rare serenity I search for, I unravel experiences that are residually prominent in my memories. Of particular importance are events and objects that have shaped my perception of self. stories told by my grandmothers a dysfunctional family dynamic objects that provide visual touchstones to my childhood These experiential fragments and memories are a testimony of personal description. My work attempts to calm the dissonance of these memories and share the resulting narrative. Ultimately, my work describes self, history, and a personal theology in transformation. This theology allows me to create beauty in spite of trauma. Each material I use is carefully considered and manipulated. By selecting discarded materials that are worn and weathered or that contain a rich visual association, the core of my work contains an embedded but indirect history. Objects whisper. a scrap of stained lace fragments of a chandelier an item...

Artwork