Todd Lambrix

Typically, my work reflects a wonder of science, machines, systems and organizing principles. I make my work out of a deeply personal need to make sense of the unraveling world I feel I am living in. Like the early naturalist Alexander Von Humbolt, I feel as if I am grabbing up whatever specimens I can shove in my pockets as I trudge through the wilderness so that when I get them home I can draw, catalog, study, and understand. I do not use the word wonder lightly when describing my creative practice. Curiosity and surprise in the face of the inexplicable drives a need as an artist to say, “see this as I do”. A kind of shared wonder I suppose.

In this recent body of sculptures, I invite viewers into a realm where the boundaries between the familiar and the uncanny blur. These works are born from an interest in fetish figures, totems and action figures. They draw heavily on the language of museum display/diorama, and are manifestations of my own struggle with age and my place in the world. 

I love materials. I am always looking for ways to created harmony from unexpected combinations. By joining disparate elements sourced from both found objects and carefully crafted components, I aim to create a visual language that creates meaning and helps me define my place in culture. I Hope each sculpture becomes a microcosm of the complex narratives that shape our existence, offering a glimpse into the hidden recesses of the human experience.

Two key elements present in the work are the action figures I played with as a child and fetish figures from western African countries such as Cameroon. I see the process of making my works as simultaneously imbuing them with the imaginative, inward, spirit of a talisman, an Nkisi, or a Zahir. I am interested in the ways an object can have a hold over a person on a deeply personal level. 

My choice to incorporate mild sexual or awkward undertones is deliberate, as it reflects the nuances of human interaction and the unspoken desires that often shape our relationships. By presenting these themes, I try to ignite taboo conversations around the complexities of human connection, hoping my viewers will confront their own desires and vulnerabilities with a sense of curiosity and openness.

The display of the sculptures under glass, reminiscent of museum culture or a scientific laboratory, aims to amplify a sense of wonder. This juxtaposition between the domestic and the clinical further emphasizes the idea that our internal worlds are a subject of study, like collected specimens in a taxonomical display.

At the core of my work, I am digging through an undiscovered world, ordering and classifying its taxonomy, and discovering how I fit in.