Lauren Naomi - Sculptural Petal Work
Immersed in the artistically rendered and living gardens of three familial generations, as a child I also found myself drawn to the intricate mathematical systems found in plants and flowers that also exude a sense of the wild. In nature, humans and art, this co-existence of formality and frivolity, of the carefully calculated and the carefree, fascinates me. One of my earliest memories is standing on a pier in Maine one summer at age 5, wearing nothing but English white ladies tea gloves and an alien headband with two glitter balls on springs - my own true nature, some strange mix of organizational conforming and flat-out rebellion. Nature then, quite naturally, became my sanctuary too, a place of wonder, and in my 20's, the petal form, my predominant building block of expression.
Since 2004, I have sculpted, painted, and arranged thousands of clay floral petals in sprawling wall-hung, suspended and free-standing structures.
With degrees in both psychology and art, my floral creations aim to give visual form to the typically unseen within us - our thoughts, contemplative processes, interpretations, responses and reactions as humans. I am enamored by what makes us tick, and what that might look like in petals. Eeking out the subtle differences between us is also a focus, with works seeking to illustrate the beauty found within each unique individual, as well as what it might look like when individuals come together in a larger community, initiating a dialogue of personal awareness within a larger social context.
In line with the notion of each of us as unique, all of my sculptural work is made by my own hands. No molds or 3D printing are ever used and there are no teams of assistants assembling; just me. I have chosen to see what I alone am capable of and, as such, my body of work is small but still grows.
My clay petal language, materials selection and idea conceptualization is expansive, to keep me engaged, but at the same time, controlled, to both challenge me and yield consistently recognizable works.
I begin with a hand-shaped petal I’ve pulled from a ball of clay and then continue sculpting petal by petal building up a work- a choreography that examines rhythms and repetition. Compositions probe the juxtaposition of mathematical organization and chaos, geometry and abstraction, the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Ratio. Emotional intensities and artistic ideas play out in physical scales as well as a myriad of sculptural floral forms, their positioning and chromatic ranges.
While the surfaces onto which I sculpt can vary from canvas to wire, to paper, to garbage, the materials I use to craft my sculptures are predominantly limited to clay, packing paper, decorative paper, ribbon, chicken wire, found, fallen tree branches, and added coloration (watercolor, metallic alloys, acrylics, house paints, glosses and inks). Each of these materials has spoken to me over time and each has asked to be incorporated.
I use a variety of techniques in my art-making including initial hand-sketching and Photoshopping, welding, routing, cutting, sculpting, hanging, adhering, color bathing, spraying, fine-brush painting and drawing onto clay. Every work, once completed, is then Dremel-cleaned, tweezed and, if watercolor or ink painted, treated with a UV-protective fixative.
"With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world." - Max Ehrmann.
Lauren Naomi - CV
solo exhibitions:
Sculptural Canvases, Subdivision Art Gallery, November 2006, Long Island City, NY
Fingerprints – LIC Pier Post Photographs, The Chocolate Factory, September 2006, Long Island City NY
two-person exhibitions:
Untitled, Studio 369, May, 2024, Brooklyn, NY
Ash to Bloom, Collier West Annex Gallery, April 2022, Brooklyn, NY
Hidden Nature, In Memorial, Meatspace Gallery, November 2006 Long Island City, NY
group exhibitions:
ARTMUC, Munich Art Fair (through Van Gogh Art Gallery), October 2025
Physically, Van Gogh Art Gallery, 2025, Madrid, Spain
Art Fair Monaco (through Van Gogh Art Gallery), September 2025, Milan, Italy
Barcelona International Art Fair (through Van Gogh Art Gallery), May 2024
Insia, Van Gogh Art Gallery, April 19 – May 3, 2024, Madrid, Spain
(un)fair 2024 (through Van Gogh Art Gallery), March 2024, Milan, Italy
Perception, Florence Contemporary Gallery November 2023, based in Florence, ,Italy
A Good Mix, Studio 369, September 2023, Brooklyn, NY
A Night of Art Presented by Jahtiek Long, Hub 17, April 2023, Staten Island, NY
Connectivity -a juried alumni show, Teachers College, Columbia University, February 2023, Manhattan, NY
UJA Trunk Show, August 2022, East Hampton NY
Rockwall Studios Group Show, June 2016, Brooklyn, NY
BOS – Bushwick Open Studios June 2016, Brooklyn, NY
BOS – Bushwick Open Studios June 2014, Brooklyn, NY
BOS – Bushwick Open Studios June 2012, Brooklyn, NY
Outpost Group Show, Outpost, June 2012, Ridgewood, NY
BOS – Bushwick Open Studios June 2011 Brooklyn, NY
Beth Israel Breast Cancer Awareness Art Exhibition, Beth Israel Hospital, October 2009, Manhattan, NY
Collectives & Collaborations, Gallery RFD, March 2008, Swainsboro, GA
Rays of Hope and Fragments of a Larger Idea, Rhonda Schaller Gallery, December 2007, Manhattan, NY
Projekt 30 Juried Exhibition, October 2007, online
Emerging Artists Group Juried Exhibition, September 2007, online
Sculptural Works, Macy Gallery, March 2001, Columbia University, Manhattan, NY
Juried Exhibit, Synchronicity Space, January 2000, Manhattan, NY
awards/press:
ArtBook, Featured Artist spread, a Peter Millard & Partners London Publication, to be released in 2025
2025 SIEDC $10,000 Grant Recipient
55 Artists to Discover – 2024 Edition’, book publication by Florence Contemporary Gallery, March 2024
Country Home Magazine, rose branch featured in home spread of designer, Robin Klein, Spring 2024
Art Muse Express, ‘Lauren Naomi – An Artistic Exploration of the Human Psyche’, February, 2024
The Art World Post, ‘Clay Petals of Reflection: The Transformative Artistry of Lauren Naomi’, February, 2024
Florence Contemporary Gallery, Magazine Issue 11, November 2023, ‘Perception’, featured artist and cover image
Arts to Hearts, Online Featured Artist: Artist Interview, November 2023
Arts To Hearts Magazine, Volume III, Featured Artist magazine spread, July 2023
Hyperallergenic, The Part of Bushwick Open Studios That is Actually Ridgewood, June 2012
The Current, Charles River School, Alumni Publication, Alumni Feature, 2008
Letter of Commendation, Ambience Art Contest, 2007, Ambience Productions, Australia
Queens Tribune, A Look Inside The Hidden Art of Queens, feature article: ‘Finding Beauty In The Natural World’,
August 2006
Jive Magazine, 2006
teaching:
Ceramics Teaching Assistant, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2001, Manhattan, NY
education:
BA Psychology, Visual Arts Concentration, Barnard College, Columbia University 1997
MA Art & Art Education, Teachers College, Columbia University 2004