Artist Statement

Alexandra Zealand is an installation sculptor.

Originally trained in theater design, she received an MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute in 2003. Since moving to Northern Virginia in 2006, her work has been seen at the Target Gallery, Evolve Urban Arts Project in DC, the artdc gallery and Artomatic. Her installation “Flock” was named Best of Artomatic 2009 by Art Seen Blog, and her January 2010 exhibit at the Delaplaine was well reviewed by the Frederick News-Post.

She was invited to install a coffee filter piece at the preview party for the new Arlington County Artisphere in Oct. 2009, and a film strip piece at the closing awards for the 4th annual Alexandria VA Film Festival in Sept. 2010. She has continued to develop her relationship with the Delaplaine, with installations in the Thurmont and Urbana Libraries in Frederick County, MD.

Zealand created her first installation 10 years ago after her close friend died unexpectedly of pneumonia. Only 27 years old at the time, his death marked the beginning of her exploration of the fragility, beauty and fear she felt in relationship to living. Her pieces evoke flight and falling, and play with light and movement. Gathering familiar objects together, she transforms them into dynamic sculptures, exploring our relationship with the objects we discard, and what our need to discard them says about our relationship with our own mortality. Although the organic materials she uses have been treated for preservation, they are still subject to their environment, and may last for years, decades, or longer.

Fascinated by mummies, volcanoes, continental drift and zombies, she spends her days doing new media, web and video work at the Arlington Public Library.