Amelia Biewald

BIO

Biewald received a BFA with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design and Goldsmith’s College, University of London, and then pursued installation and sculptural work at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she received her MFA. She attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2004 and has received many artist awards, residencies, and fellowships for my work including a Skowhegan Fellowship, a Bush Foundation Fellowship, and a Jerome Foundation Fellowship. I was awarded space by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and spent time at Art Garda Residency in Sirmione, Italy. She is a founding member of the Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis and works as an independent curator in New York.

STATEMENT

I create multi-textural provocative installation worlds combining playfulness with seduction while maintaining an incredible level of craft. Extensive research into both historical narratives and materials provides a unique look into multi-layered environments that provoke a sense of wonder and desire, but also a potential for menace. I recreate intrigues, telling stories about the confluence of myth, history, science, and scandal.

Currently, I’m recreating the bizarre true story from 18th century England where rumor and superstition clashed with medical prowess fueling media frenzy and political disruption. This is the curious case of Mary Toft or The Rabbit Breeder. She began birthing rabbits and didn’t stop for months. She had England fascinated in 1726. The king sent experts, and the case was widely publicized through text, print, and stage. Medical science was in its infancy; a mix of superstition, fable, and sexism prevailed. Women’s anatomy was a mystery, and doctors had countless imaginative theories. I look forward to envisioning these myths and theories through sketches and paintings in the next year.

To find out more about Amelia Biewald check out their Instagram and website.

Interview with Andreana Donahue

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist? What were some early influences?

I grew up on Minnesota to German parents who had lots of eclectic furniture, paintings, and little statues around the house that looked as if they had a lot of history behind them. Some of these items approach kitsch, like Hummel figurines, but they are tons of fun to explore and draw as a child. There were also a few horse figurines that I could draw. I’m obsessed with horses! From around the age of two to twelve that was pretty much my only subject matter. My parents had the opposite of a minimalist décor, so being surrounded by all of that sparks the imagination.

Where are you currently based and what initially attracted you to working in this community? Are there any aspects of this specific place that have surfaced in your work?

I am currently based between New York City and High Falls, NY, which is a little village in the Hudson Valley. I work as a curator in the city, so I really enjoy being around the galleries and in a city with such a high concentration of artists. But creatively, I need a break from that and some quiet to daydream, and that’s when I am happiest upstate. I feel like some of my artistic ideas have shifted a little to incorporate the landscape and the natural world. For example, where a sketch for a sculptural idea would have been an indoor, gallery-specific piece, now I’m thinking of doing more work that is meant to live outside, like mushroom towers and topiary.

Can you tell us about your studio space? What are some of the most crucial aspects of a studio that make it workable for you?

I am not a minimalist, and have a lot of weird objects and things I collect with hope of one day creating artworks with them. In order to afford the space, I sometimes have to make other sacrifices, like natural light. So my current studio in Ridgewood is in the basement of what used to be an old sewing factory — exposed rock walls, low ceilings, sort of spooky. But I have a lot of space to work!

What gets you in a creative groove? What puts a damper on your groove?

In addition to visual art, I have always been really interested in music and like to attend a lot of live shows. There is something about the low and colored lights and “too loud” sound that always make my mind wander and think about new objects or paintings I would like to create. I listen to a lot of music when I am working in my studio as well.

What put’s a damper in my groove? Much of my work is process oriented and has to be dealt with in a timely manner. For example the hand-marbled paper has to be made when I see the patterns I like forming organically, at that second. For this reason, I often get distracted and lose my place if I take calls, or deliveries, etc. I often plug my phone into the stereo to listen to music and don’t look at it for hours when I am in my studio.

What criteria do you follow for selecting materials? Do you prefer to maintain a narrow focus or work across diverse media? How do you navigate the limitations and possibilities that result from this path?

I love and celebrate diverse materials. I often let the resulting work created from new materials or techniques inform future work for a while. I really like the organic, swirling marks made by the paper-marbling I do. So for another project along the same theme, I scanned the swirling marks and then created a digital repeat for wallpaper. One thing usually flows into another and no materials or processes are kept pristine.

Can you walk us through your overall process? How would you describe your approach to manipulating materials? What about decision-making and editing?

Much of my artwork is based on art history, or history in general, and I read and research a lot about interesting stories, people and places. Often times, an artwork or publication exists as a documentation of an event that is little known to us today in the 2021. Here the internet is a big help! I can find drawings and access records and writings about historical events in other countries. I then re-imagine the event through visual narratives, and story-board like sketches. These sketches then become larger paintings, sculptural works and installations.

Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?

I am interested in how stories, events and the news were spread before modern mass media. We think of “fake news” as a recent phenomenon, but it’s been around forever. Artistic depictions of events and colorful articles were printed and hung around towns. I have always been interested in fashion and could look at books depicting dress plates from the 1700’s or 1800’s for hours. I am excited to explore working with ceramics in the near future, and to produce sculptural works relating to my drawings.

Do you pursue any collaborations, projects, or careers in addition to your studio practice? If so, can you tell us more about those projects, and are there connections between your studio practice and these endeavors?

In addition to my studio practice I work as a fine arts curator and also do some set design and costume making for dance and theatrical performances. I feel that my experience working with large-scale installation helps me in both of these fields.

In a time that seems to be marked by uncertainty, collective anxiety, and increasing social unrest, why do you think the perspectives and contributions of artists remain meaningful? Do you feel a natural relationship exists between your work (or the role artists play more broadly) and confronting established systems—of power, cultural institutions, or otherwise?

I think that at times like this, it is more important than ever for artists to contribute! One of the reasons I am so intrigued by historical artworks and events is that in a lot of ways not much has changed. When viewers hear and read through the visual story in my work, they often make comparisons to today’s political climate. People believed then that a woman could give birth to rabbits, and some people today believe the Covid vaccine is a tracking device.

Can you share some of your recent influences? Are there specific works—from visual art, literature, film, or music—that are important to you?

Goya, Velázquez, Hogarth, Guston, Wuthering Heights, Surrealist films, I’ve always been a bit of a Goth.

Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? What are the best exhibitions you’ve seen in recent memory?

Jaimie Warren’s The Miracle at Pioneer Works was pretty amazing!

Do you have any tips or advice that someone has shared with you that you have found particularly helpful?

I had a painting instructor that once said, “throw a can of paint on it” when I was stumped with a painting not working. It caused me to have to re-work the whole thing, but I was more interested in it and happier with it when it was finished. I still use this tactic occasionally.


What are you working on in the studio right now? What’s coming up next for you?

I have been making some more rabbit related drawings, and a series of wallpapers. I am going to translate these ideas into some ceramic works and large-scale topiaries.

To see more of Amelia’s work check out her website and Instagram.