My work reflects a peculiar interest in the consciousness of living things - the point where corporeal and ethereal meet, what makes something “alive”. I am captivated by the cellular mechanics of organisms, the movement and awareness of plants and animals, and the intrinsic unspeakable drive that artists have to create. These fuel my studio practice.
When sculpting, I prefer to use my hands either directly on the material or with the simplest of tools, primitive and slow. There is a meditative state that occurs when decisions are made unconsciously, as if the work itself is eager to be birthed. I am particularly drawn to the concept of biomorphism, which refers to the representation of living forms in art. By expanding the definition of “living” to otherworldliness, alternate realities, and spiritual realms, my sculptures are both familiar and strange. They seem to breathe and move with a life of their own.
About the Artist
Known for her colorful and biomorphic imagery, Shana Kohnstamm creates fantastical worlds and alien lifeforms that incite whimsy and wariness, intrigue and hesitation. Whether a sculpture that invites you to touch, or a painting that begs you to look closer, Shana’s work is uniquely engaging. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Shana Kohnstamm is now living and working in Rockville, Maryland. Shana was selected for the DC Arts Center’s 2019-2020 Sparkplug Artist Collective, and the Arteles March 2020 Silence Awareness Existence Artist Residency in Finland. She is a member of the Washington Sculptors Group, American Craft Council, and the James Renwick Alliance. Shana’s felted sculptures have been featured nationally and internationally in person, in print ,and online. Her artworks garnered Merit awards at the 2013 Nexus Sculpture Exhibit (Knoxville, TN) and the 2014 Fine Contemporary Craft of the Southeastern US exhibit (Raleigh, NC.) Both paintings and sculptures were selected for the 2015 Mobile Museum of Art (Mobile, AL) Size Matters exhibit. In October 2015, Shana curated and hosted the critically acclaimed international soft sculpture exhibit Touched in Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, she has been regularly invited to teach Sculptural Felting at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and was the first visiting artist at St. Albans Upper School art department in 2019. In 2020, her solo exhibition Woolgathering at the Strathmore Mansion (Bethesda, MD.) showcased work from 10 years of felt-making. Since 2021, Shana has been engrossed in translating her biomorphic forms from fiber to ceramics and mixed media sculpture.Featured Work
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