Lauren Vroegindewey, Uprooted, Mixed Media; Video Installation: Cleansing 

 Ceramic, wire mesh, plaster, wax, moss, found objects, Dimensions Variable

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     Uprooted explores the idea of a distorted ecosystem-- parsing the relationship between organisms and bodily structures and what it might mean to bridge the gap between the natural and manmade. It is a reminder to us humans how easy it is to destroy our environment and our planet. Earth Mother becomes the vessel and, when she is broken open through the act of cleansing, she allows us to witness the damage of the human mark, resulting in plastic, oil, and garage emerging from her mouth. Throughout our current climate, living in an era of global pandemic, humans are exploring notions of cleanliness: physically, emotionally, and psychologically. This pandemic has given us a new lens for looking at the environment, bringing awareness and empowerment in our efforts to minimize our carbon, plastic, and trash footprints and make strides to live more sustainably.

 

     I am a multimedia artist working in painting, printmaking, performance, video, installations, and sculpture. Based in Montclair, NJ., I teach art classes at a local studio in addition to adults with severe brain trauma. My work has been shown locally and internationally. I am passionate about being an art-educator, practicing here and abroad.

     The subject matter of my work explores notions of sustainability and vulnerability. Within my practice, I attempt to blur the line between the natural and the man-made. Often working intuitively and drawing inspiration from my past and the environment around me, my work can be seen as a narrative of personal trauma and the trauma the earth feels due to the human mark. It provides an experiential opportunity to challenge conventional perception, attempting to stimulate a mixture of sense experience and emotion to provoke a psychological response in the viewer that questions the choices we make daily.

 

     Find Vroegindewey on Instragram at @laur.vroegs, on FaceBook at Lauren Vroegindewey, on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/laurenvroegindewey and at her website www.laurenvroegindewey.com