-----------------------------------Artist Statement -----------------------------------------
I make art as a way to think about and understand the world that I live in. Questions that I frequently ask are: “How do I make the invisible visible?” “At what point does fantasy become reality?” and “How do we construct our concept of nature?”
Collecting, organizing and fragmenting images and objects from encounters with nature and everyday life are combined with my own vocabulary of visual elements forming the fundamental activity of my art practice. The three main conceptual strains that I explore are: metaphors of nature in relation to culture, cultural forms of framing and displaying nature, and how our concept of nature informs our construction of identity. Through my work, I reference cultural modes of representing nature such as botanical illustrations, flora fabric patterns, curiosity cabinets, scientific field notes, as well as natural history styled dioramas and panoramas.
By using subject matter such as landscape painting, natural history, natural disasters, fireworks, genetic engineering and biological structures, I hope to open a dialogue about culture’s relation to nature. I am interested in exploring a variety of art materials to explore meta-narratives such as ideas of progress and system of knowledge; and how they function to reinforce cultural ideologies and create meaning in regards to the natural world.
Collecting, organizing and fragmenting images and objects from encounters with nature and everyday life are combined with my own vocabulary of visual elements forming the fundamental activity of my art practice. The three main conceptual strains that I explore are: metaphors of nature in relation to culture, cultural forms of framing and displaying nature, and how our concept of nature informs our construction of identity. Through my work, I reference cultural modes of representing nature such as botanical illustrations, flora fabric patterns, curiosity cabinets, scientific field notes, as well as natural history styled dioramas and panoramas.
By using subject matter such as landscape painting, natural history, natural disasters, fireworks, genetic engineering and biological structures, I hope to open a dialogue about culture’s relation to nature. I am interested in exploring a variety of art materials to explore meta-narratives such as ideas of progress and system of knowledge; and how they function to reinforce cultural ideologies and create meaning in regards to the natural world.
-----------------------------------Art Reviews--------------------------------------------------
"The results are unlike anything else you'll find in Chelsea just now, and they're beautifully installed in Nancy Hoffman's new space." ARTinfo 1/09
"Lanfranco's particular vision is compelling..." ARTnews 3/09
"Ursus Horribilis...recalled works of Henri Rousseau in its use of symbolism and in its boundless imaginativeness." ARTnews 12/06
Katerina Lanfranco, solo show review in ARTnews. March 2009, p. 112-3.
New York Gallery Shows to Start 2009, solo exhibition review, ARTinfo, 1/14/09.
Ursus Horribilis, solo show reviewed in ARTnews. December 2006, p. 156.
Nature and Culture Intersect, reviewed in The Villager, 10/11/01, p. 36.
Re-Seen, solo show reviewed in Metro, Santa Cruz, 5/9/01, p. 35.
Biting Birds and Bees, solo show reviewed in Metro Santa Cruz, 1/31/01, p. 29.
Biting Birds and Bees, solo show reviewed, Good Times Santa Cruz, 2/1/01, p. 23
Dis-placements and Anxious Objects, Good Times Santa Cruz, 2/22/01, p. 25.
"Lanfranco's particular vision is compelling..." ARTnews 3/09
"Ursus Horribilis...recalled works of Henri Rousseau in its use of symbolism and in its boundless imaginativeness." ARTnews 12/06
Katerina Lanfranco, solo show review in ARTnews. March 2009, p. 112-3.
New York Gallery Shows to Start 2009, solo exhibition review, ARTinfo, 1/14/09.
Ursus Horribilis, solo show reviewed in ARTnews. December 2006, p. 156.
Nature and Culture Intersect, reviewed in The Villager, 10/11/01, p. 36.
Re-Seen, solo show reviewed in Metro, Santa Cruz, 5/9/01, p. 35.
Biting Birds and Bees, solo show reviewed in Metro Santa Cruz, 1/31/01, p. 29.
Biting Birds and Bees, solo show reviewed, Good Times Santa Cruz, 2/1/01, p. 23
Dis-placements and Anxious Objects, Good Times Santa Cruz, 2/22/01, p. 25.
