Canadian sculpture artist, Svea Ferguson, is interested in the agency of inert materials and their ability to express human physicality. Working with versatile materials found in domestic spaces including vinyl and linoleum, Ferguson makes use of her chosen materials’ physical properties to exhibit both structural rigidity and textile-like drapery. Her forms can be viewed as abstracted bodies, allowing the viewer to recognize their own physicality in synthetic, everyday materials. Her process also includes cyanotype printmaking, which she uses to create snapshots of her sculptures in process or to serve as installation manuals. These exist as abstract documentation of the sculpture, but also as a blueprint, a plan for the next evolution of the form.
Svea holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in drawing from the Alberta University of the Arts (formerly Alberta College of Art and Design) (2015). She was a recipient of the BMO 1st Art! Student Prize (2015) and the Horizon Alumni Award from AUArts (formerly ACAD) in 2017. Her work had shown in numerous exhibitions including The Holland Project, Reno, NV; Division Gallery, Toronto, ON; Arts Commons, Calgary, AB; The Esker Foundation, Calgary, AB; and most recently a solo exhibition at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) in Lethbridge, AB. Her work is held in the collections of The Banff Centre for Art and Creativity, TD Canada Trust and numerous private collections.
