Collection: Emily Culver - Preludes

PRELUDES speculates on a multitude of possibilities by cataloging catalysts that hover on the cusp of becoming. The amalgamation of machinery and organic anatomy in these hybrid creations question whether transitions from the mechanical to the natural induce an elevated state of vulnerability and failure. Considering these Pinocchio-esque aspirations, Culver’s works contemplate the implications of (d)evolution and what it can mean to undergo such transformative processes.

Existing primarily as sculpture, objects and jewelry, Culver’s work explores notions of intimacy, (non)functionality, gender and identity through corporeal qualities. Through these works she considers how interactions among objects are interpreted, translated, and mutated by negotiations with the body and anthropocentric tendencies. Culver actively exhibits her creative work nationally and internationally and is the recipient of various awards and residencies, including a 2017 Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship and a 2022 residency at the James Castle House. She holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and is an Assistant Professor of Jewelry and Metalsmithing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Images courtesy of the artist: