Sylvia Benitez (ARTIST STATEMENT)

"Much of my sculpture is made from organic material which is harvested near my work site. I try to choose plant vegetation that is ready available and that is not used by the mainstream for commercial use. I am curious about unknown building properties of my selection. I generally choose not to alter its basic shape. Instead, I prefer to allow its inherent qualities to suggest form. This form evolves through my work procedure of placement and repetition. Often I find simple geometric shapes appear by employing this process, cones, rectangular, sphere, etc... I am amazed by how easily organic material conforms to geometric structure when it is used as building material. I like putting the puzzle together. I find that these assisted natural forms are universal we see them in huts, domes, igloos, mesas, thatched roofs, etc.... In them, I see a truth Sylvia Benitez can be contacted at agtosilver@mindspring.com

Previous Exhibitions

China Money at Socrates Sculpture Park

Ancient Chinese money is circular with a square interior. To spend it, a person would break off a piece of the currency and use this piece, bit by bit, to purchase goods

My sculpture is constructed in the shape of ancient Chinese money. It is made of many pieces, as if the money had already been spent and then frantically reassembled. The wood used in this sculpture was collected from the streets by a homeless man, Johny, to whom I paid a dollar for a good piece. The interior square hollow was built around a cardboard box. Funny, the cardboard box is the quintessential emblem of homeless housing, there was no implied association. Or, was there?

This work could be a commentary on the timeless adage, "Waste not, Want not", urban recycling, basic form, creative inspiration, social awareness or simply a trying on of a new medium and construction approach. However, for me, it represents the thoughts that triggered the thoughts that occurured while making it. I look at the work and remember where I was, who I was and what I was thinking. - 1999 Sylvia Benitez

Sylvia Benitez & Charles Juhasz Alvarado

C o t e r m i n o u s

Two Projects/Dos Proyectos
delimiting a means of survival
February 19th - March 20th, 1999
@ The Julia Burgas Cultural Center

SUNY Purchase in Westchester

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And Puerto Rico

PAWI Affiliate Artists

PAWI Press Release,Volunteer, The Micromuseum 123 Smith Street Brooklyn. see map Call for appointment 718 797-3116. Open 7 days 9am - 9 pm till July.