Andrea Brewster: THE FRAGILE BALANCE THAT LIES BENEATH
March 25 – April 30, 2022
Andrea Brewster’s recent work consists of biomorphic forms inspired by reflections on the fragility of life and our human vulnerability.
Her sculptural pieces are deliberately ambiguous, a fantastical synthesis of biological imagery that ask the viewer to question whether the form is animal, botanical, or cellular; subtly shifting focus between a sense of familiarity and the otherworldly. Through an intuitive process of combining and recombining, Brewster allows elements to organically grow and develop in response to each another; creating “hybrids” that reference nature, but are not direct imitations of it. The resulting forms straddle the line between science and art; blurring the distinction between imagination and reality, representation and abstraction.
In creating these works, Brewster has drawn heavily on her interest in fiber processes such as lace making but has utilized high tech tools and materials instead of traditional thread. These works are created using a 3D printing pen, a tool whose functionality lies somewhere between a hot glue gun and a 3D printer.
Brewster’s sculptures encourage the viewer to take a closer look at the delicate equilibrium of the natural world, and the fundamental, underlying order that acts as an invisible scaffolding to all of nature’s actions and interactions. “It is up to us to maintain and protect this intricate web of connections and interconnections; the fragile balance that lies beneath,” Brewster states.
Available Work
Andrea Brewster
Andrea Brewster graduated cum laude with a BA in Sculpture from Pomona College and obtained her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in New Genres. In 1993 she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for her works on paper. She has exhibited throughout the Bay Area, including solo shows at The Lab and Southern Exposure in San Francisco; and in group shows at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, the Oakland Museum of California, New Langton Arts in San Francisco, and the Peninsula Museum in San Bruno, California. In 2017, her work was included in an international exhibition devoted to Tatting, a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace from a series of knots and loops at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley. In 2020, her work was included in the Headford Lace Project show, “The Space Between,” in Galway, Ireland and in 2021 in the Bi-Annual International Fiber Arts X exhibition held in Sebastopol, California.
For more about Andrea Brewster