This fall, contemporary artist Lesley Bodzy, who is based in New York and Houston, opened her premiere solo exhibit Lesley Bodzy: A Soft Embrace in New York, curated by Anna Stohart. The exhibit is a retrospective of Bodzy's work from the last three years, featuring her gold acrylic tapestries, cast bronze sculptures and 3-D rendered plastic on aluminum reliefs. Trauma, loss and desire are channelled into each piece, as evidenced in the juxtapositions of plush and tough materials, flowing and pinched compositions and matte and translucent surfaces. Here, Barnebys speaks to Lesley Bodzy about her inaugural exhibit, who her most important artistic influences are and what techniques she's experimenting with next.
Lesley Bodzy: A Soft Embrace is open at 526 West 26th Street #704 through December 2, 2023.
Barnebys: You work with a wide variety of materials and techniques in your sculptures and paintings. What informs your experimentation?
Lesley Bodzy: I think the chief reason I make art is the surprise factor. I love to experiment and see how things come out. Work rarely turns out as I planned as unexpected challenges arise which I have to problem-solve. I enjoy this journey.
Starting from the beginning, what were your first artistic influences and favorite mediums to work with?
I have made art all my life. I started young, in nursery school, with clay dough, construction paper, popsicle sticks, mud, and all those fun childhood materials. I recall making clothes for my dolls out of felt. After that, I never stopped experimenting with materials. I grew up in Los Angeles so my first artistic influences were the artists I saw at LACMA. I remember being especially moved by a Salvador Dalí show I visited at age 14—the soft watches captured my attention, and the experience was surreal and unexpected.
Related: Salvador Dalí: Art Crazy
Congratulations on your current New York exhibit, Lesley Bodzy: A Soft Embrace, which includes both sculptural paintings and bronzes from the past three years. How did you choose these works and what was the inspiration behind the curation?
Anna Stothart, the curator made the curatorial choices. She considered the juxtaposition of hard and soft materials, playing with the rhythm of hard edges and soft surfaces.
Related: When Art is... Curvy
The architecture of Zaha Hadid is a major influence in your work. What in particular sparked your interest in her vision?
I am primarily attracted to the curves in her work. Curves were her unique contribution to architecture and it took trial and error for her to achieve her vision. I admire that perseverance.
Related: Zaha Hadid: 4 Facts to Know
Trauma, loss, and desire are recurring themes in the exhibition. How do you express those emotions through your artwork?
It is not very conscious. When I make the work I am thinking about personal traumas from my history. Then after the work is complete I realize that it came out a certain way because it is a manifestation of what sits within my body.
What do you want visitors to your exhibit to know about or take away from your work?
Well, since this is a retrospective of sorts, I hope it is clear that I enjoy working in a variety of mediums, that visitors connect with the materiality or subject matter of the works, and that aspects of the exhibition seep into their memory banks hopefully to resurface in a different context.
Which artists or artworks have influenced you the most?
It depends on the series I am working on. With a series of still life paintings in watercolor and oil, I was influenced by the impressionists: Matisse and Manet. Now, as I work sculpturally, my influences are contemporary. My work dialogues with Lynda Benglis’ poured works and gold wall sculptures and Angel Otero and Kennedy Yanko who also work with paint skins.
Related: Impressionism: Between Shadow and Light
Are there any mediums or concepts that you haven't tried that you are intrigued by?
Oh yes, many! I am always curious to try new materials. I am intrigued by plaster and cement. I am also intrigued by 3D printing.
What is next for you in 2024?
I am currently making wall sculptures using polycarbonate sheets which I buy at Home Depot. I plan to expand their potential in 2024.
