The Process of Mending: A Cathartic Exploration of Personal, Social, and Familial Relationships
My sculptures in this exhibition represent a cathartic exploration of personal, social, and familial relationships. I explored the process of mending using a collection of objects that have a personal connection, that I then deconstruct and alter into new forms that integrate a sense of healing into each sculpture. I define this catharsis element of healing as a description of mending, because it illustrates repairing something once emotionally damaged into something emotionally stable (internally speaking) again. I chose mending because it provides hands-on personal link between myself, the object, and the new intended story of healing. To achieve this outcome, I broke down the emotional significance of each life event and re-purposed the object. This element of transforming objects acts as a sense of storytelling which transforms objects with personal connection into a re-purposed sculpture that intertwines my personal, social, or familial relationships. I hope these sculptures will allow viewers to reflect on their own relationships and the powerful role objects can serve within each relationship. Reagan Kazyak
Reagan Kazyak ‘19
Advisor: Walter Zurko
All images copyright © 2019 Reagan Kazyak. All rights reserved.

Untitled. Repurposed Wood, Glass, Concrete, Hand-written Letters, Plaster. 2019.

By a Thread. Hand-embroidered Tee-shirt with love letter. 2019.

Ateht. Tee-shirts. 2019.

Ateht. (detail). Tee-shirts. 2019.

Tribute. Dimpled clay vessels, repurposed cabinet doors, chain. 2019.

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