I’m fascinated with the concept of multiple co-existing states of being. Can objects have other lives, take on new purposes or do new things? In my work I marry together found objects, natural things, studio detritus, traditional 2D materials, reflective materials and light sources to coax new iterative existences.

*A note on the Eaton fire pieces. These two were made in the wake of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires in my home city of Los Angeles. Like all Angelenos I watched in terror as the winds kept blowing, buildings burned, charred palm trees wind-lashed and giant embers coursed through streets and hillsides. Mercifully, my family was not instructed to evacuate and we still have a home. In the days and months following I felt an obligation to reckon with the events in some way, to honor the loss with attention and empathy. A rediscovered piece of cedar wood veneer became the first element of two meditations on the cataclysmic events.

Witchy weapons and party tools

with light, reflection and refraction.

Imbued with their own light, they clamber and twist around themselves incorporating disparate materials.

They radiate their own energy/ight and impact the environment around them? Is it possible to create ritual objects from the fusion of natural and synthetic things? Woven into the making of each piece is a helpful purpose and hopeful mission.

Laura Ricci is an artist living and working in Los Angeles. Her work has been exhibited in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, San Antonio, San Franciso, Oakland and Montevideo, Uruguay.