annie shea
Fine art and art history
catnap
Project statement
Catnap (2022), exists as a Sculptural, Lithographic Diptych, detailing the gentle nature of printmaking while simultaneously responding to the contents of the image in its physical form. This two-part piece brings attention to the artist's reflection of their midwestern home and upbringing, using "Catnap" the stuffed lion as a symbolic representation of self. As a queer person, the artist navigates their practice by returning to the adolescent, finding inspiration and reflection within the mark-making of their childhood. With this, they are hoping to start a conversation between the former and the current self, both of which are constant, active, and queer. The home structure is a rendition of Annie's Childhood home, drawn from memory and manipulated into her interpretation of that structure, often dealt with as a blueprint or an in-progress concept. All of the doodles and drawings were hand traced by the artist from childhood sketchbooks and repeated throughout the work. In the case of this piece, there are drawings pulled from the artist's personal archives from 2006.
Printmaking is an active love of Annie's, specifically for its particular nuances and patient nature. The Lithograph here was printed in four colors and in an edition of eight. The physical house structure followed the print with the idea that bringing the eighteen-year-old stuffed animal into the space literally, would give the audience a broader sense of ware and nostalgia. With all of this, the entire structure was hand fabricated by the artist to re-home Catnap the lion and highlight the contents within the image.
A very special thanks to Meghann Sottile and Chris Flynn for support and assistance on this project!
About the Artist
Annie Shea is a working printmaker, designer, and makeup artist out of Chicago, Illinois. They explore identity, queerness, and nostalgia, in order to start a conversation about the human experience. Annie works in print for its attention to process and its quiet successes. Printmaking as a medium resonates with their journey of figuring out their place in the world, something that is foregrounded in their work. Inspired by archives of their childhood artwork, Annie Shea establishes a conversation between the former and the current self, dealing with body forms, ideas of home, creation, and gesture.
“Annie Shea and I crossed paths during their second semester at Columbia, in my stamps and stencils class. When the print shop manager serendipitously asked me who might be a good student to hire, I recommended Annie without missing a beat. Their work had been a standout in class, and they were a delightful presence working collaboratively with others, with focus and great care. Annie was then, and remains now, clearly engrossed with print processes, creating beautiful images with the greatest ease. Over the years, I’ve followed their work closely. I have been deeply moved by the poignancy of Annie’s images dealing with the poetics of memory, place, and being. I so look forward to seeing their work grow and change as Annie continues their journey through the matrix of life.”
— Joan Giroux, Associate Chair, Professor, Art and Art History