Andrea tells me that in the beginning of the process, her work has always been very artifact driven. "I live with all these pieces for a long time, I have them in my house, and I hang them on the walls consistently, and I shift them around. And slowly they just become, something."
For this collection of work, Andrea focused on the idea of protection of one's Self, through delicate armor. One part of her artist statement really struck me. "These shields, mostly composed of porcelain, which has the quality of both strength and extreme fragility, provide an ironic sense of protection. They become less a function of actual protection, but instead, become a facade that shields you from others; a symbolic representation of self preservation. As these works unfold in the series, they evolve from solid constrictive shields into softer forms, working with softer more permeable materials. Almost symbolic of the self becoming lighter, softening and finally surrendering." One can relate emotionally to these very tangible, wearable, works. Even without reading the artist statement behind the work, one can't help but feel this depth of soul in the works.
The cotton string that Andrea has woven into her own delicate layer of armor looks almost religious in it's purity. While taking a class in weaving at the Textile Center, she found herself merging these delicate threads with the artifacts of porcelain she had begun making and were starting to evolve with and into the string. "Making rope is really easy actually, unless you have a cat, then it gets a little messy." Andrea joked. But the incorporation of the cotton string in this work really pushes it to another level. The loosely woven cords of cotton in the form of a chest plate descends naturally from the twisted ropes and makes you feel a sense that perhaps you are already wearing this armor in someway.
It's not uncommon for Andrea to put her heart into the process of crafting her works. When I asked her if there was a project in her past that she was maybe most proud of, she began to tell me an adorable story about two match sticks stuck together. She had found them in a match book at a bar, and something about the way they were stuck together had her see this as a special moment. She loved them enough to take them home with her and save them for quite awhile, until one day she decided to cast them in porcelain, (you can see beautiful photos of this process here.) She explains at the end of the story that she likes the idea of taking the porcelain matches and placing them in match books at bars or restaurants around town. "You throw it in there and someone else finds it, and it's magical."
Andrea has been working in Ceramics a Clayspace1205 for 5years now, and has formed lasting bonds with many of the other artists. Some she's even collaborated with and plans to continue doing so in the years to come Andrea's work is on display to be viewed by appointment at The Brooklyn Workshop, 393 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn (718) 797-9427. There are more photos of Andrea Miranda Salas' work on her website. Keep a close eye, as she plans to incorporate a line of "more accessible" neck pieces for retail. Also, if you are ever in a bar and happen to flip open a box of matches and find two porcelain ones stuck together, you'll know where the wink is coming from ;)
