Folio asks artists and curators to gather works made with unexpected materials and adapt them for the printed page. In this issue, MAYA BEVERLY asks us to revisit familiarity and form.
From Top Beauty (Series) 2019. Ceramic, Bamboo Hoop Earrings. Photographed at “Top Beauty” Supply Store in Brooklyn New York, 2019.
My process involves combining material from personal archives and working with practices and materials that are imbued with cultural history and tradition. I have found that incorporating other materials into my work allows me to directly reference often appropriated adornments.
Space is also relevant because it further contextualizes the objects at hand. I wanted to include some of my more recent work, The images give the impression that these are large objects. but they are miniature sculptures in a micro gallery that is about 2 feet by 2 feet. These forms are inspired by small ancient funerary figures called shabtis, which were created to perform specific duties in the afterlife. ~ Maya Beverly
MAYA BEVERLY is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York, whose work is primarily centered around Sculpture and Ceramics. In 2020, she received her BFA from New York University in Studio Art.
Much of her practice is informed by her interest in a wide variety of objects and their functionality, spanning from ancient artifacts to items that are culturally relevant in the present day.
Recurring themes of interest include the power of objects, the act of adorning, societal expectations of beauty, distortion, and manipulation. She has participated in residencies at Women’s Studio Workshop and The Archie Bray Foundation.