Shelby Fleming
Bio
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 a artist in resident at Creative Spaces NWA. Fleming’s artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the CICA Museum, South Korea, Scattered Art Gallery, London, 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.
Artist Statement
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. Many of the patterns and structures in my work draw from Scanned Electron Microscope images or 3D CAD models of the human body. Transforming microscopic images into artwork, I am highlighting the 37.2 trillion cells that work endlessly to make us who we are.
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.