bio
Erin Sandsmark is a Minneapolis based artist, originally from Fargo, North Dakota. Sandsmark received her Bachelors of Fine Art degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In the spring of 2017 she received her Masters of Fine Art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Sandsmark has been the recipient of the Brown-Makenzie Arts Scholarship and the Sally-Spencer Scholarship. She has been exhibited at the Regis Center for Arts Quarter Gallery, West Gallery, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, the MFA Whittier Gallery, MCAD MFA Gallery, Co Exhibitions Gallery, New Bohemian Gallery, Red Garage Studio, Altered Esthetics, Artspace Jackson Flats, and Studio 427. Sandsmark has participated in Art-A-Whirl and the annual MCAD Art Sale. Her current solo exhibition "Ourselves" is at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative in Albert Lea, MN. Sandsmark is an art instructor with ArtiCulture, a non-profit providing art to the community through classes and public art projects and she is a Continuing Education instructor with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
artist statement
My body has been a source of fascination throughout my life. I have gone through many eras of hate, disregard, and love for the limbs and fat rolls that accompany my body. By exposing my body through painting, each exposure of my flesh became a part of my own personal therapy in dealing with the body I was born with. I have chosen slowly to remove my specific identity from the paintings, cropping in on moments that share a certain truth in my form, and allowing others to project their own experiences on to mine.
Recently, I have begun to make work outside of myself. My goal with these paintings is to shed a light on different women with their unique identities. My cis, white female form has become stagnant in my process. The personal therapy that self-portraiture had provided in the past has been immeasurable, but now is the time to step away from only fat, white representation. These women are strong, powerful, and thoughtful. They have chosen to expose themselves in a project that hopes to share honestly their unique experiences. These paintings only graze the surface of what I will create with these women, and I hope to work with many more individuals and diversify the representation in the future. We, ourselves, are present and never wavering in our boldness through this collection of new work.
Erin Sandsmark is a Minneapolis based artist, originally from Fargo, North Dakota. Sandsmark received her Bachelors of Fine Art degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In the spring of 2017 she received her Masters of Fine Art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Sandsmark has been the recipient of the Brown-Makenzie Arts Scholarship and the Sally-Spencer Scholarship. She has been exhibited at the Regis Center for Arts Quarter Gallery, West Gallery, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, the MFA Whittier Gallery, MCAD MFA Gallery, Co Exhibitions Gallery, New Bohemian Gallery, Red Garage Studio, Altered Esthetics, Artspace Jackson Flats, and Studio 427. Sandsmark has participated in Art-A-Whirl and the annual MCAD Art Sale. Her current solo exhibition "Ourselves" is at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative in Albert Lea, MN. Sandsmark is an art instructor with ArtiCulture, a non-profit providing art to the community through classes and public art projects and she is a Continuing Education instructor with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
artist statement
My body has been a source of fascination throughout my life. I have gone through many eras of hate, disregard, and love for the limbs and fat rolls that accompany my body. By exposing my body through painting, each exposure of my flesh became a part of my own personal therapy in dealing with the body I was born with. I have chosen slowly to remove my specific identity from the paintings, cropping in on moments that share a certain truth in my form, and allowing others to project their own experiences on to mine.
Recently, I have begun to make work outside of myself. My goal with these paintings is to shed a light on different women with their unique identities. My cis, white female form has become stagnant in my process. The personal therapy that self-portraiture had provided in the past has been immeasurable, but now is the time to step away from only fat, white representation. These women are strong, powerful, and thoughtful. They have chosen to expose themselves in a project that hopes to share honestly their unique experiences. These paintings only graze the surface of what I will create with these women, and I hope to work with many more individuals and diversify the representation in the future. We, ourselves, are present and never wavering in our boldness through this collection of new work.