Sarah Gendler (born 1990, San Jose, CA) is an interdisciplinary artist from the San Francisco Bay Area who focuses on not having a focus of medium in her practice. A variety of materials are used for pictorial and sculptural works with themes ranging from abstract to representational.
Born and raised against the hills of South San Jose, with gardens, backyard fowl and other animals as pets; constants in her youth, She developed an affinity for all things organic and biological. With english and chemistry professors as parents, early on she was encouraged to explore creative outlets and critically think about life. Her
love for the natural world; the constant balances of life and death, no expectations of how something “should†be, and the pure beauty in every detail, inspires perspective, gratitude and openness to the unknowns of the future. The artist interprets these concepts differently for each piece , keeping her ideas fresh and evolving. Viewers will see a variety of thoughts reflecting a natural reference of flora and fauna as well as figures, faces, and interpersonal or emotionally developed creations.
The zone of complete immersion, that comes from experimenting with a new material or using a previously acquainted material in a new way, excites Gendler while inviting inquiry and investigation, as does being in nature, exploring on a hike, or backpacking miles into the wilderness. An artist inspired by nature, emotions ,and finding balance with asymmetry, the artist employs herself to continue to always create for the joy of the process. Allowing whatever funky and odd ideas to influence the process, Gendler’s eclectic art encourages regeneration, creativity, and fun. Gendler’s artworks have been exhibited in small local art exhibitions, such as at Works/San José, and Social Policy. Into the Depths is Gendler’s first time being in a public museum show, which runs from 5/4/2019-5/5/2019, and 5/11/2019 at the Monterey Museum of Art – La Mirada.
Appreciative of a “going with the flow†attitude, Sarah Gendler exercises an exploratory approach to much of her art practice, surveying many media to best suit each project/idea. While in the confines of her making space, Gendler will grab whatever material is closest to start off when an idea strikes, working a project without an end goal in mind at first. Often, the materials used in her work were new for that project so learning “on the fly†is common. The artist is open to letting the medium direct the narrative of the process, and will often finalize what the end result will take shape into as she goes along. Less frequently but not unheard of, solidified ideas are translated into a physical representation with similar likeness to the original thought.
Collaboration is a key part of the idea process for Gendler, and she finds the act of engaging with someone to hear their ideas equally, if not more, inspiring than a solo brainstorm.
Gendler is excited about everyday life; the smaller, simplistic aspects with a “stopping to smell the flowers†attitude. Nature, science, animals, people, and weird stuff hold places in Gendler’s practice. Starting with the basic elements of art and the principles of design as composition stimulation is a usual which leaves space for questioning the conceptual impact of the art on hand. Making art that not only whispers an idea, thought, cultural ,political or social reference, but also shouts a message through engaging visual creation is a balancing act and a goal of Gendler’s . As an artist inspired by nature,emotions ,and finding balance with asymmetry, the artist employs herself to continue to always create for the joy. Allowing whatever funky and odd things her brain thinks of to influence the process, Sarah Gendler’s eclectic art encourages regeneration, creativity, and fun.