Sandy Skoglund Sandy Skoglunds work like much of

Sandy Skoglund's work, like much of contemporary art, resists simple explanations and categorizations. It

Many people know Skoglund's art best through the photograph Radioactive Cats, 1980, in which

The tableau at the Hunter Museum of American Art, Breathing Glass, is an installation

Certainly the title, Breathing Glass, implies an element of danger or vulnerability, and the

Landscape in Roses Lobby Installation commissioned by the Coca Cola Company, Plano, Texas

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS INSTALLATION MARCH 22, 2002 B&D Gallery Milan Italy

Wall tiles, toilet, sink and bathtub of handmade paper. Snakes and rabbits of cast

Installation of sculpture followed by placement of eggshells

Walking on Eggshells Performance at opening March 22, 2002

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Sandy Skoglund

Sandy Skoglund's work, like much of contemporary art, resists simple explanations and categorizations. It incorporates elements of sculpture, installation, theater, film, and photography, drawing upon modern art history while at the same time transcending our perceptions of both art and reality. Skoglund herself has said that her work “falls within the idea of a theme park…[It is] almost non-art. ” Skoglund's installations are usually experienced as highly detailed tableaux, settings that challenge our view of everyday life.

Many people know Skoglund's art best through the photograph Radioactive Cats, 1980, in which some two dozen neon-green sculptures of felines in various poses inhabit a decrepit gray kitchen with two people who seem to be going about their mundane existence. There is something almost apocalyptic about the scene, as if set in a postnuclear world where the animals have adapted in a way that has elevated their status above that of humans.

Sketch for Radioactive Cats

Radioactive Cats

The tableau at the Hunter Museum of American Art, Breathing Glass, is an installation of a series of blue panels with glass dragonflies and marshmallows coming out of the walls on wires. Three mannequins, covered in the same type of glass shards that comprise the flooring of the installation, stand on their heads, lending a topsy-turvy effect to the piece.

Certainly the title, Breathing Glass, implies an element of danger or vulnerability, and the lovely colors and glass pieces juxtaposed with the upsidedown figures on broken glass create a certain tension between what we think we know to be true and what we see: Seeing is believing, but can I believe what I see?

Breathing Glass

Clear Chaos

Landscape in Roses Lobby Installation commissioned by the Coca Cola Company, Plano, Texas

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS INSTALLATION MARCH 22, 2002 B&D Gallery Milan Italy

Wall tiles, toilet, sink and bathtub of handmade paper. Snakes and rabbits of cast resin and bronze powder. Approximately 16, 200 eggshells