statement

With my work, I am interested in the body-self relationship and its relationship to the natural world. The term, Objectified Body Consciousness, has two definitions. The first is the experience (and subsequent subject of research) of viewing one's body as an object separate from one's self. The second is an individual's body-self relationship primarily focusing on the appearance of one's body as seen by a third party. This has little to do with how the person physically feels or what their body can do. Having been an athlete from an early age, I participated in sports from ice hockey to triathlons, yet struggled with issues of self-conception and physical appearance.   

The constant discipline and determination of being an athlete is similar to the way I approach art making. Both are self-directed, repetitive, and meditative forms of creating; both construct the person I want to be and portray the parts I want people to see. Furthermore, I want to show a connection to forms in the natural world with the forms I
am displaying. Since human beings are natural forms as well, I find it fascinating to see how harmony arises when pairing these figurative and natural images through layering or creating diptychs; I am thus uniting different aspects of a whole without losing the identity of each component.  

Rather than sheer objectification, I am interested in the investigation of patterns and textures that are often overlooked and ignored. By creating work that focuses on small sections of my own body, I attempt to push my work into something relatable and universal, although not immediately identifiable. By creating work that focuses on small segments of my body, I am slowly coming to accept what makes me a person as a whole.

bio

born: 1984, Merrill, Wisconsin

education

Arizona State University, MFA Printmaking, 2012
University of Wisconsin-River Falls, BFA Printmaking, 2008

selected awards/honors

Best in Show, "Black and White Art Expo 2013", Infinity Art Gallery, www.infinityartgallery.com
6th Place and Premiere Placement, Important World Artists: Volume I, "Artavita's 1st Contemporary Master Award Competition", www.artavita.com
Best in Show, "Exploring Arizona Talent", Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art, Scottsdale, AZ
Best in Show, "Americas 2011: Paperworks Exhibition", Northwest Art Center, Minot State University, Minot, ND

selected publications

International Contemporary Artists: Volume VI, V, IV, and III, I.C.A. Publishing, New York, NY, www.incoartists.com
Important World Artists: Volume I, premiere placement, World Wide Art Books, www.wwab.us
Art Buzz: The 2012, 2011, 2009, and 2008 Collection, Seminole, FL, www.artbuzz.org
Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art and Design: Issues 30, 24, 21, 19 and 13, 3x3 Publishing, New York, NY, www.cqjournal.com

selected solo or two-person exhibits

"Angela Young and Elizabeth Cheche: Two-Person Exhibition", Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art, Scottsdale, AZ, March 3 - August 15, 2013
"Human Nature: A Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition", Gallery 100, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 2012
"Self-Perception", Northwest Art Center, Minot State University, Minot, ND, 2012
"Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition", Gallery 101, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, WI, 2008

selected group shows

"Perceptions" (upcoming), Flow Art Space, Minneapolis, MN, 2013
"Wesley Anderegg, Angel Cabrales, Fausto Fernandez and Angela Young", Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa Arts Center, North Gallery, Mesa, AZ, May 10 - August 11, 2013
"Merrill High School Alumni Art Show", Merrill High School, Merrill, WI, 2010
"Unpolished", The Chocolate Factory, Phoenix, AZ, 2009