Zoë Siegel
Artist + Architectural Designer
Sculpture
Pasio
2020. Wire. 63" x 63" x 63"
Dancing partner
2004. Wire, paint. 25" x 40" x 50"
This is a studio view of two different sculptures. The one above is "Pasio." It was commissioned for a home in San Miguel de Allende.
"Dancing Partner," was made in 2004. In both pieces, I am drawing with wire. I use the wire to make 3 dimensional gestures through space.
To give the pieces mass and presence, I fill in the contour lines of the wire drawings. In "Pasio", I give the circle element weight by using straight lines of wire. The two arcing pieces that move through the circle are filled in using circular elements. In "Dancing Partner," the interior lines of the planar element reflect the outside contours of the piece.
When the pieces move, they dance. They are delicate, like dreams, but they have a strong, forceful presence.
Tickle
2008. Wire, paper. 19" x 26" x 19"
This piece comes from a series I made in 2008. But the video is new. During Covid, I've discovered video as a way of documenting my pieces that move. It's been an exciting new tool for me. Here I shot a live photo on my phone, then used the bounce option to make the movement infinite.
Teeth
2013. Wire, plaster, wax. 47" x 18" x 6"
I made this piece after seeing an x-ray of children's mouths. It's astonishing how teeth are initially housed in our skulls, tightly wedged in, waiting to burst out. This piece makes me think of Lee Bontecou's sculptures, which are such an inspiration for me. This is especially evident in the detail pictured below.
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Untitled
2020. Plaster, styrofoam. 14" x 13" x 4"
I made this piece recently, but it's a shape that has been with me since my childhood. I draw (in 2 dimensions and in 3 dimensions) variations of this form over and over and over. Dancing Partner (the piece in the first photo on this page) is a version of this shape.
I enjoy the play of positive and negative space, male and female, vulnerable yet solid.
Pareja
2003. Plaster, styrofoam. 8" x 12" x 3"
Pareja comes from a series of sculptures and drawings I made at the beginning of my relationship with my husband. "Pareja" means "couple" in Spanish. The gesture of the wire, especially the orange line describes movement. The two sides make one, they share roots, both evolving out of the stable base. The forms erupt, blossom and continue to grow, suggesting lungs, or perhaps a heart.
