(Updated) STATEMENT OF RESEARCH
Nancy Sayavong is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice interrogates the interplay between built architecture, the human body, and the intricate relationship between physical form and psychological experience. Her work explores the origins of bodybuilding and wellness, examining how these practices are influenced by trauma, cultural aesthetics, and the flamboyant maintenance of the American physique.
Through sculpture and photography, Nancy deconstructs these themes, creating works that challenge traditional notions of beauty, strength, and identity. She employs a diverse range of media, including gypsum, mold-making/casting, woodworking, and other forms of mark-making, to craft pieces that are as tactile as they are thought-provoking. Her art invites audiences to reflect on the complexities of the human form and the societal constructs that shape our perceptions of wellness and perfection.
Biography: (b. Seattle, WA) Sayavong’s works have been included at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, SOMArts Cultural Center, Oakland Museum of California, Verge Center for the Arts among others. Residencies include The Headlands Center for the Arts in (Sausalito, CA), Ali Youssefi Project in (Sacramento, CA), Cow House Studios in (Wexford, Ireland), and Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation in (Berkeley, CA). Sayavong received her MFA from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018, and her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014.
*Nancy Sayavong lives and works in San Francisco, California. She is currently developing a nonprofit organization called iNcluart, envisioned as a vibrant community incubator for contemporary arts. Located in the heart of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District, iNcluart’s mission is to provide a creative space where artists can refine their skills, connect with the public, and celebrate the powerful intersection of trades, craftsmanship, and artistic expression.