Andrew Hayes
Sculpture
Lives and works in Western North Carolina
(b. 1981, American)
Q: What influences your work? What draws you to your current style of work?
A: “My work is influenced by other steelwork I see be that: industrial machines, forged tools, and historical and contemporary metal art. I’m drawn to this style of work because of the inherent qualities both steel and paper possess.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
Book paper and steel are perceived differently and placed in different contexts in our lives. The book is appreciated as an object of education, growth, and escape. Steel, on the other hand, does not trigger such lofty associations and, moreover, is often invisible, even though it is a primary element of our constructed environment. I strive to overcome the disparate perceptions of the materials and level the playing field between them by combining them in constructions in which they complement each other and play equally important roles. This results in what I hope are formally and aesthetically intriguing objects but also in an awareness of how seeming opposites can work together, in this case by exploring and exploiting unexpected features that they share, such as flexibility, history, mass and density. The process and results will, I hope, do what art is supposed to do: make us think, challenge preconceived notions and see new and surprising possibilities.
Unbound blocks of text lose their original meaning when I cut the pages from their bindings. This allows me to respond to the shape and texture of the paper and give it a new formal context. Introducing metal to the composition allows me to create a new structure and support for the loose pages, and elevates the steel – a familiar material in industry and architecture – to the level of the book – an object for contemplation. Alongside the paper, the steel becomes graceful, its subtle colors and surface heightened. Bound together, the pages and steel become something new and unified. No longer do the pages form a book on a shelf; with the steel, they become a unique object with its own strength and story.
ABOUT
- Andrew Hayes, born in Tucson, AZ and studied sculpture at Northern Arizona University.
- He left school to learn more about metal fabrication by working in the industrial welding trade. Eventually Andrew sought to develop his artistic voice and applied to the Core Fellowship at Penland School of Crafts. During his time as a Core Fellow, Andrew explored a variety of materials and technique; the book became a big part of this exploration.
- In the fall of 2014 Andrew retuned to Penland as an artist in residence where he continued working with book forms and fabrication.
- In early 2018 Andrew set up studio in Asheville where he creates sculpture exhibited nationally including solo exhibitions at Seager Gray Gallery (Mill Valley, CA), Hunterdon Art Museum (Clinton, NJ), and Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, TN).
- His work is included in a number of collections including Yale Art Museum, Black Mountain College, and Wingate University.
PRESS + MEDIA
When Sculpture Meets Literature: Passages by Andrew Hayes
[Design Milk]
A Brief Q&A with Sculptor Andrew Hayes
[Hand-Eye Supply]
Bookmarking Book Art – in medias res … Andrew Hayes
[Books on Books]
A Glimpse Into the Process
[Video]