Stephanie Kilgast is an artist known for her intricate and vibrant sculptures created with discarded materials, trash, and old objects. Inspired by natural forms, Kilgast’s art is an ode to nature and its current biodiversity. Plants, mushrooms, insects, and other animals encounter a vibrant swirl of colors under the brush or sculpting tools. Her ongoing series “Discarded Objects” which began back in 2017, has recently been growing with new a new sub-series titled “Knowledge?” in which she uses vintage books as her canvas.
Kilgast’s series of sculptures remind us of nature’s power, as new life takes over vintage books
“Our era has never had such free and easy access to knowledge. Yet it is also a time of fake news and bigotry. Knowledge seems to be discarded for stupidity or financial gain. Science is discredited by conspiracy theories. But without knowledge and the will to learn and understand, we can’t form intelligent opinions and decisions. There is a cognitive dissonance between our scientific advancement and how our societies function and evolve”, Kilgast writes.
The looming apocalyptic feel of the works is unavoidable, yet simultaneously reassuring, as it reminds us of the fact that nature has the capacity to grow back if we only let it.
Blooming flowers sprout from the pages, while colorful corals spawn over the covers, and delicate fungi and life-like insects chew away on the corners of these discarded literally works. New ecosystems are born and thrive in the artist’s incredibly detailed and intricate work that draws our attention to our current unsustainable impact on nature. The looming apocalyptic feel of the works is unavoidable, yet simultaneously reassuring, as it reminds us of the fact that nature has the capacity to grow back if we only let it.
Learn more about the artist and her growing sculpture series here, and make sure to follow her on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look as the creates her intricate works.
Images © Stephanie Kilgast