Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Koozel Reibstein.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’m from the East Coast-born in Boston and raised in Philadelphia, which has always been a point of pride for me. I love the fast pace and energy of city life and Philadelphia, in particular, was an amazing city to grow up in – surrounded by the vast landscape of public art and graffiti throughout the city. I believe these surfaces covered in countless layers of paint and grime have had a strong influence on my aesthetic. Still today I crave surfaces that are dense with information and layered in mysterious ways. In terms of education, I have a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art.
In between my time in Ann Arbor and Boston, I returned to Philadelphia for three years during which I worked as a ceramics studio technician, staff at a ceramic supply dealership and taught all ages and backgrounds at non-profit art centers. My whole world revolved around the practice and consumption of art, and those years in Philly were a wonderful mixture of trying out different career options and carefree youth, constantly going to music shows, engaging with the local art scene and spending every spare moment making work. After completing my Master’s degree, I made the jump to the West Coast for a yearlong residency at the Mendocino Art Center after which I accepted a tenure-track position here in San Diego at Palomar where I still am today.
I don’t teach because I have to in order to get by as an artist but instead because I love to. Being in the classroom and interacting with students is an important part of keeping me engaged with the outside world, encountering new ideas and contributing to my community. My husband, Jones von Jonestein, is also an artist and without his incredible support, I would not be able to juggle teaching full-time, raising two young children and maintaining an active studio practice. It is a rich and fulfilling life, and I am grateful to be part of San Diego’s incredible arts community.
Please tell us about your art.
Through my work, I express an interest in fluidity; of emotion and reason, memory and reality. I want to question the boundaries of our understanding of ourselves and the world around us by creating unusual forms that are simultaneously recognizable and enigmatic, evoking curiosity, unease, and wonder. I often play with balance and fragility in these forms, allowing them to appear to either be on the brink of collapse or mid-awakening. I intend for these works to serve as Rorschachs, inviting the viewer to project their own perceptions and experiences onto the work, informing their interpretation. In the studio, I pull in from a wide range of materials and references. My recent incorporation of floral and decorative elements references the vanitas tradition, with an exploration of mortality and the fluidity of our ephemeral life cycle. Tension is important to me and is incorporated in each object, whether through the contrast between a form and its surface or within the object, itself being a collision of hard and soft undulations. My most recent works confront preconceptions of beauty and embrace a glam aesthetic through heavy use of glitter and dramatic color which I use to create spectacular and mysterious forms and landscapes. I also often experiment with unexpected materials, creating rock formations sometimes out of foam and concrete and other times through growing real crystals directly onto sculptural armatures. This experimentation is loose and encourages my interest in exploring the unknown, balancing expectation with mystery and reality with fantasy.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
This is a really difficult question to answer. Part of my sense of pride from being an East Coaster is having a strong work ethic and competitive spirit. That has provided a lot of pressure and I have spent most of my career questioning and redefining what constitutes achievement in a field where striving for “success” is a nebulous pursuit. It has been interesting in recent years, now being the parent of two marvelous and energetic kids, age 5 and 1 and settled in for my 12th year as a tenured Professor at Palomar College to step back and reflect on my achievements and goals. I am lucky that every year has offered more and more professional opportunities and I can’t remember a time when I had a lull without an exhibition on the horizon. There is enough demand for my work that I am extremely busy keeping up with it all, forcing me to be continuously engaged in the studio. For the first time, I am happy not to have more on my plate – life is short, and I have learned to hone my priorities so that I can appreciate its fullness and not be distracted by ranking myself against others. My career has allowed me to travel the world and participate in engaging, vibrant communities, which in and of itself feels like success. The characteristics I would say are most essential to success as an artist are persistence to get back up and keep working after rejection or harsh criticism, dedication to prioritize your time in the studio so that you stay continually engaged and perspective to realize that your work will not be a fit for everyone and that identifying your audience will take time and research. Most importantly you need to question why you are a maker and what your goals are so that you can focus your attention and find fulfillment internally as well as externally.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Currently, I’m in a really fun two-person exhibition with John Oliver Lewis at Bread and Salt, entitled “Bright Beyond” up through September 22nd. From September 17 – October 19th I will also have a solo show, “Lingering Light” at The Rose Gallery at Francis Parker School. My work is also very visible on Instagram at @sashakoozel and on my website, www.sashakr.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sashakr.com
- Phone: 610-564-0855
- Email: sashakreibstein@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sashakoozel
- Facebook: Sasha Koozel Reibstein
Image Credit:
Jones von Jonestein and Barbara Smith
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