BFA EXHIBITION

ARTIST STATEMENT

These three sculptural hollow forms are my interpretation of my dad’s childhood imaginary friends, Ugga Bugga, Munga, and Foxy. He created these friends at a very young age and does not exactly remember what they looked like but explained to me the main characteristics of each of them. He explicitly stated that the most important thing was each of his imaginary friends had happy and joyful personalities. Now, I have been given the opportunity to create each of his long-lost, fictitious friends and bring them to life.

Starting with constructing each character as sculptures made of clay, I specifically created garage doors to depict his fondness of spending time in the garage. The doors and windows allow a look into his made-up friends imaginations, each displaying carefully chosen items to symbolize some of his favorite activities as a child. The finishes of these pieces are red, yellow, and blue, to represent the traditional primary colors that we associate with childhood. To reinforce this association, I utilize the basic shapes of squares, circles, and triangles as both the character’s overall forms and window shapes. 

My dad’s imagination was instrumental in cultivating my artistic and creative side from an early age.From his silly songs to hearing stories of his imaginary friends, his actions taught me to embrace my creativity and encouraged me to celebrate my own imagination. I am honored to have the opportunity to bring his imaginary friends to life.