Artist Statement – My large-scale installations and sculptures examine the lingering effects of exploitation and human ambition from the Age of Discovery on our current socio-ecological climate. In my museum inspired installations I embody the character of curator and naturalist, using aesthetics of scientific authority while taking poetic license with truth and history. I pull from childhood memories of packed exhibition halls packed with Greco Roman sculpture while investigating the missing gaps in the classical narratives of history.
I have always been drawn to objects that have already lived a full life and have acquired their own small and mysterious history, and love to research what they were used for and by whom. Working with materials gleaned from waste will allow me to hone in on concepts of waste objects as historical artifacts, how attitudes of conquest have led to waste culture, and speak about the extent humans impact the planet.
Bio – Danielle Schlunegger-Warner grew up amongst the shell shops and sand dunes of Ventura, CA. Her artwork is strongly influenced by 18th century Cabinets of Curiosity and early explorers.
Inspired by natural history and the museums that house it, Danielle creates her own worlds within this established context. Her new work presents a vision of exploration and conquest during the Age of Imperialism in the Americas from the perspective of naturalists, who are themselves invaders.
Graduating with a BFA from California College of Arts in 2010 with distinction, Danielle received the All College Honors award for her work on The Marcus Kelli Collection and was awarded the 2014 Affiliate Artist Award From the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin, CA. Danielle currently and lives and works from her home studio in Portland, Oregon and writes remotely for Venison Magazine.
Art Exhibition: Friday, August 4