From crunched, single-use containers to thrifted boxes and repurposed clocks, Stéphanie Kilgast (previously) devises unique habitats for a wide range of creatures. Fungi takes root along the sides of a green bottle as a beetle crawls over the cap in “Weevil Wander,” for example, and a violet owl alights on the top of a pair of binoculars.
Kilgast’s solo exhibition, LUSCIOUS LEGACY at Arch Enemy Arts, continues the artist’s interest in highlighting the human impact on the environment and the increasingly grim consequences of the climate crisis. Rather than focusing on the darker reality, she adopts an optimistic view of nature’s resilience.
“Weevil Wander” (2024), mixed media on plastic bottle, 6 x 5 x 7.75 inches
“My work touches very contrasting emotions: the joy of color and natural beauty but also the sadness and despair of where we are headed,” Kilgast says. She hopes to aid us in questioning mass consumerism and its resulting trash, which continues to threaten delicate ecosystems worldwide, and adds, “The world is beautiful. It is worth fighting for.”
LUSCIOUS LEGACY runs through October 27 in Philadelphia. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Chi Va Piano” (2024), mixed media on reclaimed clock, 6 x 3 x 4.25 inches
Detail of “Chi Va Piano”
“Stare (Eurasian Eagle Owl)” (2024), mixed media on reclaimed binoculars, 3.5 x 5 x 9.75 inches
Detail of “Weevil Wanderer”
“Glacier” (2024), mixed media on plastic bottle, 4 x 4.25 x 8.75 inches
“Bloom” (2024), mixed media on plastic bottle, 6.75 x 7.75 x 9.75 inches
“Luscious Legacy” (2024), mixed media on milk carton, 7.75 x 3 x 8.75 inches
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