Artist statement

I am a collector of the broken—of stories, objects, memories. I fabricate sculptures that create intimate intertwined histories from my experiences and experiences of others.

My artwork is created from pieces that I make from raw materials combined with shards that are recycled into new life--shards from pottery that was owned and broken by friends around the world. The hope of these people is that I can take their precious shards and give them new life. 

I learned the art of recycling by living in Mali, West Africa, where nothing is wasted. I was reminded daily that all materials can be recycled or repurposed numerous times. I was equally inspired by the work of artists in West Africa, who also create from the detritus of others. Recycling is not a new concept. It comes from a culture of survival.

My new series honors the history of the figurine since humankind began. From the Venus figurines that were kept on a person’s body, hung from a neck, secreted in a pocket or placed in a niche for safekeeping, to modern day mantle ware that evokes a fabricated pristine era of propriety. Why were they made? Were they created to empower, to make fertile, to provide solace, to give status? Who did they represent? More importantly, who do they represent today? These are questions I address in my recycled, repurposed and reimagined works which I create in honor of my daughters, who are the new generation of the ideal. They are a mixture of countries, religions, races, ethnicities. They are Swiss Africans, Mennonite Muslims in black and white. They are the new world.

Ronna Neuenschwander