July 2009 Featured Artist: Marilyn Hammer

Meet our Featured Artist: Marilyn Hammer

Marilyn Hammer, a 28 yr old female hailing from Buffalo NY, is an artist of many facets, mainly focusing on self portraits and sculpture. To create her sculptures she uses old dolls, animal artifacts, and assorted talismen that add crucial details to the overall piece. Using a handheld propane torch, she burns and molds the dolls into the desired form of her emotion. From there, she says, the dolls seem to take on a life of there own.

Deeply influenced by the great Frida Kahlo, Marilyn uses self portraits as an outlet for her emotional creativity. Using herself as the main subject allows her to become part of the art she is driven to create. Says Marilyn, "My goal as an artist is to empower viewers with the endless possibilities of creativity, and encourage them to look beyond the conventional definition of art".

"My creations are a testament to infancy and the immeasurability of infinity. A uniting between (wo)man and animal in a chaotically beautiful process of resurrection. Primitive raw emotion unveiling inner beauty that dwells beneath the pain of existence. By melding the birth and death, I convey the release of human suffering into freedom. The consciousness of animal instinct, the act of dissecting to release, suffering that transpires into inspiration, igniting deep cognitive healing. Through the use of fire I am able to burn away what is transient and mold my creations into the desired form of my emotions. I carve a tangible representation of a woman's struggle for survival through metamorphosis and shape shifting. Every one of my sculptures is a child sprung from the womb of my reality. I utilize the old to build upon, changing what was into the unrecognizable. Taking self portraits is a way for me to view myself from a different perspective. It allows me to experience a sence of pride transmutating through life's journey. The photographs become an emotional window that allows viewers direct access to the source of my creations. My body and mind intertwined on a quest to preserve the individuality of my existence."

View Marilyn's work at myspace.com/mmhammerofgod and
myspace.com/marilynsmanifest.
Marilyn's art is featured in the Spring 2009 issue of Tangent. Pick up a copy today at http://www.lulu.com/