Gyöngy Laky
Mixed media sculptor
San Francisco, CA, USA
Speaking through branches
- A commitment to environmentalism underpins Gyöngy’s practice
- She creates sculptures with natural materials and construction tools
- Her work explores language, symbols and political themes
Gyöngy Laky’s vessels, typographic wall hangings and installations reveal an enduring fascination with human ingenuity and making. During her studies at UC Berkeley, the university’s collection of Native American baskets became a formative influence on her practice. Travel was another form of education, introducing her to the inventive ways people around the world construct homes from local materials. Recognising parallels between woven textiles and the latticed frameworks of hand built houses, Gyöngy began assembling branches, grasses and industrial materials into sculptures using textile and architectural techniques. "My work often carries a message opposing militarism and environmental destruction," she says. Gyöngy founded The Fiberworks Center for the Textile Arts and taught at UC Davis, shaping a generation of artists.
INTERVIEW
I work at what I call the architectural end of textiles, building sculptures by hand. I weave my 'natural harvest' of branches and grasses with an 'industrial harvest' of screws, dowels and wire to explore language, symbols and contemporary issues.
Nature makes lines far more interesting than I could ever draw. I have learned to appreciate the irregularities of branches, working with their knots and unexpected forms. Using natural materials also allows me to speak to environmental issues.
Teaching was the milieu in which I became an artist. Even as a student at UC Berkeley, everyone was experimenting and teaching one another. That collaborative spirit inspired me to create The Fiberworks Center for the Textile Arts, a place for artists to share and learn together.
Art offers me a form of political resistance and helps me engage with the issues of our time. Through my work, I voice my activism and philosophy, championing the value of environmental responsibility, the handmade, creative thinking and embracing diverse cultures.
Gyöngy Laky
Mixed media sculptor
San Francisco, CA, USA
ADDRESS
Address upon request, San Francisco, CA, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, French
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