MILTON, Ga. — Bouncing from place to place across her basement studio, narrative sculptor Kirsten Stingle provided insight into reimagined worlds.
The studio is covered in armoires, storing more than just underglaze. Working in ceramics, but also fiber and found objects, Stingle is attracted to the stories she can tell. She hand-builds each piece, without using a cast, and layers them with detail, asking viewers to take their time.
The latest collection concerns mythology, the stories that reflect a more patriarchal culture. Stingle takes figures who have been “ossified” – rigid or fixed – and “weaponized,” like Medusa, and reincorporates them into the natural world.
After describing the mythical figure, who had been raped by Poisedon and punished by Athena, Stingle said, “You’re looking at weaponization of sex, weaponization of power, weaponization of her.”
A new piece, not yet titled, is a bust of a woman hanging on Stingle’s studio wall. The woman’s hair, in thick strands, swirls around like snakes, but the texture and color are reminiscent of a fungal network. It’s also embellished with gemstones, flowers and even some scabs of saguaro cactus nests.
“We have to sort of re-entangle ourselves into the environment,” Stingle said.
Stingle’s work is women-centric, as she tends to tell her own story. She paints dots on her sculptures’ lips, a signature, as a reminder to stay true to herself. They often feature pronounced, teased, Regency-era hair — another story-telling platform, additional space for layering.
A banner in the far end of her studio: an illustration of Marie Antoinette and the words: “Let them eat cake.” Stingle likes to steal from different time periods and has an eye for fashion porn. She cited fashion photographer Tim Walker as an inspiration.
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