About Shelby Fleming
Shelby Fleming (She/Her) holds a BFA in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and a MFA from the University of Arkansas School of Art. She has attended residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Chautauqua School of Art, Interform, and is currently an artist in residence at Creative Spaces NWA. Fleming’s artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the CICA Museum, South Korea, Scattered Art Gallery, London, Montreal, Canada, the International Sculpture Conference, and Art Saint Louis. Fleming’s studio practice is cross-disciplinary with a focus on sculpture, installation, and performance art. Her most recent work focuses on how bodies occupy space physically and psychologically.
Body is the center of my artistic practice. Whether it is abstract or representational my work revolves around the body’s fragility and resilience as it faces internal, external, or psychological factors. My installations approach from a larger perspective as I account for the viewer’s body and viewing experience in relation to the space. The scale, sculptural placement, lighting, and negative space are all elements I consider when constructing installations. In this created space the viewer’s body is confronted but also included as their interactions with each element of the installation completing the piece.
Sculptural wearables are a new evolution for my practice. It has allowed me to directly engage in a dialogue with the body. My line titled “Gut Feeling” features 10 wearable sculptures. Each piece in the show is adorned with an anatomical feature such as gut, muscle, or vain structures. The base of each design is inspired by the medical field attire and explores the theme of the abject body, the body that defies its boundaries and invokes a grotesque feeling.
Sculpture and wearables are on display at the Art Ventures Gallery, 20 S. Hill, Fayetteville.
About the art
Shelby Fleming (She/Her) holds a BFA in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and a MFA from the University of Arkansas School of Art. She has attended residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Chautauqua School of Art, Interform, and is currently an artist in residence at Creative Spaces NWA. Fleming’s artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the CICA Museum, South Korea, Scattered Art Gallery, London, Montreal, Canada, the International Sculpture Conference, and Art Saint Louis. Fleming’s studio practice is cross-disciplinary with a focus on sculpture, installation, and performance art. Her most recent work focuses on how bodies occupy space physically and psychologically.
Body is the center of my artistic practice. Whether it is abstract or representational my work revolves around the body’s fragility and resilience as it faces internal, external, or psychological factors. My installations approach from a larger perspective as I account for the viewer’s body and viewing experience in relation to the space. The scale, sculptural placement, lighting, and negative space are all elements I consider when constructing installations. In this created space the viewer’s body is confronted but also included as their interactions with each element of the installation completing the piece.
Sculptural wearables are a new evolution for my practice. It has allowed me to directly engage in a dialogue with the body. My line titled “Gut Feeling” features 10 wearable sculptures. Each piece in the show is adorned with an anatomical feature such as gut, muscle, or vain structures. The base of each design is inspired by the medical field attire and explores the theme of the abject body, the body that defies its boundaries and invokes a grotesque feeling.
Sculpture and wearables are on display at the Art Ventures Gallery, 20 S. Hill, Fayetteville.