A Manalapan resident is being recognized for her abstract sculptures “that leave room for viewers” to determine their own meaning behind each work.
Kate Eggleston of Manalapan will showcase her fiber sculpture exhibition “Still Deep” at the Monmouth Museum, on the campus of Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, from Oct. 18 through Nov. 17. An opening reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 18.
Eggleston said her works are open to interpretation. Although she encourages people who view her work to explore their own imaginations, Eggleston said an artist “never wants to be misunderstood.”
Of her work “Islands of Me,” which features 15 soft sculptures arranged on a wall, Eggleston said the abstract work is meant to resemble abstract land forms with blue flora.
“When I mount (the sculptures) on the wall, I (position them) high off the ground so it looks like they are floating across (the wall). A lady once told me (the work) looked like a dead shark. Someone else said it looked like their dog,” Eggleston laughed. “You just kind of roll with it … If that’s how (a person) gets joy out of (the work) then that is exactly what it is.”
In her artist statement, Eggleston said, ” ‘Still Deep’ is a sculptural exploration of adaptation. This collection of work, spanning the last two years, touches on the anxieties of balancing my home life and studio practice. I challenged myself to create work that is outside of my comfort zone.
“I experimented with the concept of abstract sculptural landscapes while still maintaining my point of view … My work relies heavily on process. I obsessively sew numerous duplicates of simple forms, then use them to build biomorphic abstractions.
“The sculptures become collections of otherworldly, pliable curves and gentle planes merging into and branching off from one another. I employ boro and other hand-stitching techniques to blend these textiles together, building up texture with thread,” she said.
Eggleston will give an artist talk and demonstration at the museum from 7-8 p.m. Nov. 6. She said she will have additional soft sculptures on hand for attendees to feel and examine.
“It’s hard not to touch something that is fabric on the wall,” the artist said. “I know people are always very curious to handle sculptures … People will able to have a tactile experience.”