Sascha Mallon, Mending Dreams

About

Front Room Gallery is pleased to present, “Mending Dreams” a solo exhibition of new sculptural works by Sascha Mallon. “Mending Dreams” includes hand-build ceramics, assemblage sculptures and drawings which capture moments in time, accessed through memories and dreams. The forms and the figures in this exhibition relate to the artist’s Austrian heritage; she creates images of animals, people, and nature that reference allegories, myths, and stories, re-contextualized in contemporary life. She is particularly interested in expressing inner thoughts and feelings and how those relate to reality. Sascha Mallon’s work encourages viewers to slow down and to notice the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

“Mountains are a recurring theme in my work. They are a metaphor for the body and also allude to my Austrian heritage. They refer to the border between inside and outside and represent stability and home. My mountain sculptures are formed out of broken pieces of glass and ceramics. This work started when I broke one of my favorite cups. The mountain represents the idea that when we face difficulties and challenges in life there are two possibilities: either we accept it and learn something, get stronger, and grow, or part of ourselves breaks and we carry the weight of the loss with us. The mountain is also a metaphor for the fact that many different pieces forming a whole are stronger than the individual parts.” -Sascha Mallon

Another recurring subject in Sascha Mallon’s work is a series of figures in a position of waiting, sleeping, or dreaming. For example, her ceramic sculptures of female swimmers create a dialogue about space and fear. Some of the figures are standing on the diving board ready to jump, while others sit on the edge of the board, either resting or afraid to jump off. There is a sense of ambiguity and indecision, of not knowing what direction to go or what the future holds. Narrative is fragmented in her work, much like a fleeting memory or a recollection of a dream. She explores the space between what is a dream or fantasy and what is reality. The people and animals in Sacha Mallon’s installations are all connected, and even though there is distance between them in the gallery, they interact with each other.