BIOGRAPHY:
Fae Lyn started her artistic journey as a child, inspired by the intensely beautiful environment of the tropical rainforest she lived in. She loved singing, drawing, and writing. At eight she and her best friend wrote and performed a play. At ten she carried a notebook everywhere she went, drawing dresses as she had decided to be a fashion designer. Through her adolescence to early adulthood, Fae Lyn focused on academic successes and repressed her artistic pursuits. While in University, she took a painting course as an elective and despite the challenges it presented, it became a catalyst for her development as an artist. She is currently completing a BFA at Thompson Rivers University.
Fae Lyn’s conceptual works explore personal and political themes including grief/trauma, feminism, ableism and sizeism. In acknowledgement that wonder and joy are also powerful expressions, she incorporates playful elements into her serious works. She enjoys working with multiple mediums including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, and 3D/intermedia but her main area of focus is textiles because of their versatility. She still finds fashion inspiring, and loves wearable art. Her current works in progress include soft fabric sculptures and a sound installation.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
I am fat. This should be a neutral fact, but society, by and large, does not view fat bodies neutrally. I use art to explore aspects of myself that I am not comfortable with or find painful and to celebrate and advocate for aspects of myself that are beautiful and valuable. My body and my relationship to it gives me opportunity to do both. The concept of dress forms as sculptures was drawn from my lived experience of wanting better fitting clothing but lacking sewing patterns and a dress form in my size. The dearth of representation of and accommodation for fat bodies is a problem that needs correcting. We will not simply cease to exist just because we are ignored and underrepresented. Society must not just acknowledge us, but fully include us.
The quilted and patchwork sculptures I created this year are about recognizing the worth of fat bodies and affording them ample space to be. I chose to work with fabric in part because textiles interconnect our bodies and fashion; they are the interface between ourselves and society. These soft sculptures incorporate elements of traditional textile arts, including quilting and embroidery, creating associations with nurture and care.
I am also disabled. Again, a neutral fact that is often stigmatized. Disability has had a major impact on my pursuance of an education. I have taken my BFA over a span of twenty years to accommodate my health. I would not have been able to complete my degree without support and accessibility tools from the university and my family. Even with this support I have encountered challenges or lack of access to aspects of education that are available to abled people. My sound installation, “The Wings Are Ornamental” explores feelings of being trapped and excluded by inaccessible aspects of society. Disabled people deserve to live as full and complete lives as abled people.
I hope these works spark discussions and inspire change.
