Rebecca Manson on Art, Life & Everything In Between

Rebecca Manson photographed by William Marsh

Rebecca Manson remembers the moment she fell in love with leaves, or rather the exact moment she fell in love with them all over again.
 
‘I used to collect leaves with my dad when I was really little and press them. Then, a few years ago, I went through some old books in my family’s house and found all these pressed leaves that were so old, just frozen in time. That really inspired me.’

The New York-based sculptor has made what is often referred to as ‘nature’s harvest’ – but what she more accurately describes as ‘nature’s trash’ – a significant part of a body of work that’s been shown at Art Basel, Miami, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, Fairfax Dorn Projects, East Hampton, NY, and Josh Lilley, London.

Rebecca Manson, Gutter, 2021 at the Warehouse. Photo by Kevin Todora

Manson is known for her meticulously constructed sculptures, often featuring leaves that seem to rush forth or envelop the viewer in a vigorous gush of energy that’s as much purge as poetry. She’ll often introduce the element of chance into the creation of these works by pushing the timing and the temperature of the kiln in order to fashion something unexpected from the creation she originally placed within.
 
She’ll set the kiln to at least 100 degrees beyond what the material can withstand, or fire everything five times, which is pretty unconventional, too. The cycles of suspense between firings are what excite her. Ask her to explain why, and she’ll talk about the idea of personal resilience and rebuilding in the face of adversity.

Rebecca Manson, Gutter, 2021 at the Warehouse. Photo by Kevin Todora

‘When you put something in the kiln, there’s this aspect that’s then out of your control,’ she tells Artspace. ‘Then you’re just sort of shepherding it through its own process and manipulating that a little bit. You’re controlling something a little bit. You’re sort of coaxing something but also just trying to observe and let it find its own thing and facilitate something happening.’
 
‘It’s sort of a collaboration with the material, a conversation. Like: I’m gonna do something with you, and you’re gonna do your thing, and then I’m gonna respond. The material and I respond to each other, until I find the thing that I’m looking for. Some things are tediously controlled by me, and other things I let out of my control, which contributes to the identity of the piece.’

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