Artist Statement

Sigrid Sarda’s sculptural tableaux explore the excess found in a world saturated with imagery and consumerism.  There is a disjuncture between the deliberate awkwardness of the figures and their environment.  These cutout figures are brought half to life in some region between childhood and consumer language.  The juxtaposition between a 3-dimensional imagined world with 2-dimensional backdrops from a variety of sources and eras add further possibilities for reading the work. 

The life-size figures are hand crafted in wax reminiscent of store display mannequins and effigies.  Sarda purposely chooses specific materials to convey irony.  Animals play a major role in this work. Though taxidermy is utilized to perform human whims, the animals retain their character and integrity.  The inner play of human figures and non-human animals dramatically heighten the power of the pieces. Portraying with her characteristic dark humor, Sarda creates a world of flipped morality and a decaying system of values run amok.