Artist Statement
From one home to the next, apartment dwellers and renters lack control over their personal spaces. It is not only the home itself that defines the living experience, but the quality of life is greatly affected by secondary forces. Landlords, neighbors, parking, green space, physical access and privacy are factors that will significantly affect the perceived value of a living experience. These conditions are fluid and will leave residents in a state of flux, constantly questioning if they want to – or are even able to – leave or stay.
Based on real floor plans of my past and present homes, along with maps of parks and communities, I build sculptures and installations out of home-improvement materials. Pine studs, linoleum tile, faux brick, as well as conflicting color palettes of construction caution-orange and beige renovations, are used to represent these often temporary, semi-private and semi-public spaces.
By recontextualizing homes and communities into flat floor plans made of specific construction and interior design materials, I am creating spaces for my viewers to be reminded of their past and present homes, for both better and worse, and inviting my audience to share their tragic and/or comedic stories of their homes, landlords, and neighbors. The conversation between my viewers becomes a playful competition of who has suffered the most at the beige-paint-covered-hands of their landlords. My work is like an open house that invites interaction and reflection.
Biography
Angela St. Vrain is a sculptor and installation artist based in Minneapolis. Her work is inspired by living in rental apartments. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, she received a BFA in Sculpture from University of Louisville in 2016. Since moving to Minnesota, she has completed residencies at Second Shift Studio Space in St. Paul and Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, along with receiving a MFA in Visual Studies from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2023. Angela lives with her dog in a duplex on a corner lot in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis.
