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| Faith Is Forged In The Unknown. 2017. Hand-cut photograph, watercolor, decorative paper, wood veneer, wall paper, foam core, and found objects from abandoned homesteads on panel. 12" x 14" |
Chelsea Dean is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work embodies and embraces systems that erode. " For the past four years, I have been combing the Mojave Desert, wandering in and out of abandoned homesteads taking pictures and collecting artifacts.
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| Faith Is Forged In The Unknown, detail. |
These relics have served as reminders that someone used to occupy these once hopeful spaces. It’s here that I find myself drawn to the multitude of textures, colors, and patterns that live within the detritus."
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| You Can't Forget Me. 2018. Hand-cut photograph, metallic foil, etching, and foam core on vintage tile. 8" x 8" |
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| When Patterns Are Broken. 2017. Hand-cut photograph, decorative paper, gold foil, and foam core on monotype. 29" x 31" |
I salvage history, suspending the architecture of Southern California in time with a process of carefully controlled chaos. By combining my photographs with experimental printmaking, drawing, and collage techniques, I elevate the conflict between order and entropy. My most recent body of work focuses around my fascination with these abandoned homesteads in Wonder Valley where I continue to meditate upon the allure of beauty and decay.
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| Reflected In What's Left. 2018. Hand-cut photographs, watercolor, contact paper, foam core, and found objects from abandoned homesteads on panel. 36" x 48" (diptych) |
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| The Peril, But Also The Promise. 2018. Hand-cut photograph, watercolor, and 24k gold leaf on panel. 36" x 48" |
"By gathering and incorporating discarded elements from these abandoned ruins in the remote reaches of the Mojave Desert, I layer and build them back into my work, assigning new meaning with the addition of gold elements and embellished patterns. I carefully document then reconstruct these spaces, offering the viewer a spatially rich experience that responds to the original site. Memorializing architectural histories, I emphasize sites in transition to re-contextualize and illuminate their inherent value."
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Fool's Gold. 2018. Found objects from abandoned homesteads and gold enamel paint.
12" x 35" (triptych)
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| Purportedly Mystical. 2017. Hand-cut photograph, color-aid paper, decorative paper, and vintage wallpaper on paper. 7" x 11" |
To view more of her work, visit her website, check out her Instagram account, and her Facebook page. If you happen to be in Los Angeles, go see her work at Fellows of Contemporary Art in Chinatown until November 2nd. FOCA is located at 970 N. Broadway, Ste 208, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
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