Statement

At some point in my childhood, I began making shrines around dead animals I found in the woods. A bat, a bird, a squirrel. Each time I came upon one of these creatures, I’d place sticks, rocks, and plants around the body in some esoteric configuration. It wasn’t about making meaning, but about marking the feeling of mystery and unknowability I found there. The landscape held secrets.

When I think about that mystery I often find in nature, it speaks to what Byung-Chul Han, in his book Vita contemplativa, describes as a “radical immanence.” There’s a presence in the places we dwell that we often overlook because we never stop moving and never make time to wait and reflect. In my practice, I want to make mysterious and charged things that speak to that immanence and encourage a slowing down. Through an experimental process that involves much sitting and staring, the materials become something unexpected. The objects often resist language, creating their own mystery, presence, and pull.

Bio

Becky Bailey's artistic practice is an ongoing attempt at resisting the unceasing demands on our time and attention. She makes objects as a way to focus, slow down, and steep herself, and the viewer, in ambiguity, mystery, and unknowns. As part of her process, Becky researches myths and rituals and sits in spaces that captivate, enchant, and exude a kind of presence. Her interdisciplinary approach involves painting, drawing, ceramics, paper-making, and installation.

Becky has completed several residencies, including at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, The Studios at MASS MoCA, and Monson Arts Center, and has shown work in exhibitions across the U.S., including recent exhibitions at Hal Bromm Gallery in TriBeCa and Anonymous Society Gallery in Redding, CT. Becky has been featured in publications such as Dovetail Magazine and ArtMaze Magazine, with recent mentions in ArtNet and Two Coats of Paint.