2021 MFA Exhibition: Kolaya Wilson

Kolaya Wilson is a California-based artist. She earned her BFA with an emphasis in Sculpture from California State University, Stanislaus, in 2018. She is a recipient of the Israel Levitan Fellowship and the Lorin ‘68 and Karen Letendre Art Scholarship. Wilson is a graduating MFA Candidate, 2021, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her work has been shown at the Lorin ‘68 and Karen Letendre Art Digital Gallery, University of California Long Beach GLAMFA, UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, UCSB’s Glassbox Gallery, The Chartreuse Muse, and ASOM Gallery. Wilson was also recently nominated for the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, 2020-21, from the Art Department at UC Santa Barbara.

Artist Statement:

In my artmaking practice, I specifically select materials that are impermanent and fragile, and their inherent ephemerality causes the objects to degrade over time. These fleeting gestures force the viewer to confront the fragility and brevity of the lived experience. I utilize these materials to endorse my belief that our interactions with art are precious, momentary, and sacred. The compilation of materials used within these works of art are familiar and relatable to the spectator. They feature paper, thread, and found objects that we engage with routinely, such as our mail, clothing, consumable products, and DIY projects. Through my recent collages, paintings, and video work, I attempt to unify these disparate media by creating an amalgam of gestures ranging from mark making to hand stitched patterns, and needle pricked mappings. By combining physical object making and digital video performance, I further investigate the engagement of domestic objects, recycled materials, and maternal archetypal narratives. I both wrestle with, and submit to, the practice of creating connections within the fiber callings of reclaimed materials, woven impressions, and gestural movements, and they help me uncover the mystery that shrouds the complex landscape of an abstract artistic assemblage.