Excited to be showing new works by long time New Orleans metal sculptor, Gina Laguna. These entities are elevations of humble and utilitarian materials, ambiguously biological constructions of the most basic building blocks. To me they can feel like reef life, coral constructions, budding off to infinity, or maybe something I have seen pulsing through a drop of pond water in my high school biology class. There is this play of scale I enjoy. Are these pieces full scale representations, or should I imagine myself shrunk down? They may be small and seeking to outpace in the long run, like a baobab seedling. Whatever they may be, they are not static. Another thing I have come to realize about Gina’s work is the chi she imbues into these objects, through her process, which at first seemed archaic to me. Standing over a sculpture with with a set of tanks and a brass torch, cooking steel into molten trails of weld is a meditative process, the welds invite a closer examination fitting to her micro-macro aesthetic. I know you will enjoy these excellent works and have many observations and associations like I have! Here is an artist statement by Gina Laguna. -Adam Farrington

While working in my garden, I study the roots of plants and weeds, discovering interesting and lovely forms. Roots and human anatomy merge to visually convey the growth, death, and humor inherent in nature, and the rebirth of old memory in the continuation of life. Sometimes, the tangled roots suggest the movement of drama that comes from the grit of life, inspiring studies of motion like, “Dancing on the Sky”.

“Three Legged Woman” is a humorous introspection on the average woman. Juggling domestic life, work, and play can feel impossible. My piece incorporates a third leg of support for all of these ventures.

“Willow” is based on the sweeping movement of the willow tree. My sculpture combines the stagnant nature of metal with the living flexibility of flora. Welding is a fiery, high energy process that manipulates steel into the gentle swaying of a living moment in time. 

Though some of my work incorporates vibrant colors, I have not obscured the steel. As plants are shaped by pruning shears or disfigured by a storm, people are shaped and scarred by life circumstances, which settle into the past that makes them who they are. I do not attempt to conceal the imperfections in my materials because they are proof of the trials and tribulations we undergo in life. 

-Gina Laguna