Alex Seewald

Long Valley, NJ

Artist Statement

The goal of my work is to find and create value in objects that are often seen as worthless. I imagine a fantasy world with unicorns, dragons, and glitter where it is possible to reimagine garbage as something precious. The magical saccharine beasts inhabiting this world are both formidable and beautiful, representing my relationship with the trash I have been collecting for these works. The vast quantities of waste generated by consumerism both overwhelm and inspire me.
This work is also meant to represent how people can be described by the trash they create. The bits of packaging from the things I have bought and collected tell the story of my life so far. I have fond memories as a young child flipping through our family’s collection of DVDs and making pony bead bracelets with my friends. As I grew older, I started paying more attention to pop culture and appreciated the art in both media and package design, which is often quickly consumed and quickly discarded. This work is an ode to my childhood nostalgia and compulsion to collect which have shaped who I am today.

I would like to thank my family, friends, and fellow art majors for support and inspiration. I would also like to thank my advisors Amy Brener and Katherine Kuharic as well as John Powell for all the help they’ve given me. This work was made possible through a grant from the Smallen Fund.