Sculpture Exhibition at the A.D. Gallery

By Eli Soderberg

With her abstract figurative sculptures, Holly Fischer explores the complexity of being female, where beauty is both seductive and repelling. Through Feb. 6, Fischer’s ceramics will be displayed in her exhibition ‘Evolution’ at UNCP’s A.D. Gallery — her first exhibition without the distractions of wall art.

Her first ceramic sculpture, displayed in the middle of the gallery, was made 12 years ago and is the only entirely figurative sculpture in the collection. “Aphrodite” depicts what Fischer describes as the dangerous and threatening female body. The rest of

the sculptures are abstract but still convey the female body with a soft, smooth ceramic shell and intricate, uncomfortable insides.

“I hope that each of the figures sort of draw you in for a closer look, but then you might have apprehension on seeing them more closely,” Fischer said.

The insides of her different sculptures feature threatening spikes and uncomfortable textures such as holes and thread. Fischer conveys an internal conflict where female beauty is expected but is also seen as manipulative. The sculptures are a conduit for processing and critiquing the pressure to conform to socially constructed gender norms.

“The biggest compliment you can give me is that you want to touch it. I think that it’s fantastic that they are evoking a desire for interaction,” Fischer said.

Fisher said the art is inspired by carnivorous plants and poisonous underwater creatures whose seductive and deadly forms become metaphors for our culture’s inherent mistrust of female empowerment.

She was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, surrounded by art. With a woodworker father and a fiber artist mother, Fischer considers art a second language. Since childhood, she has struggled with internal conflicts arising from the expectations of being female, which she conveys through her ceramic collection that she has accumulated over the past 13 years.

She always shared her mother’s passion for fiber, and for a long time, she wanted to find a way to incorporate fiber into her ceramic work. The result is three pieces — “Focus”, “Ruminate” and “Compulsion” — that combine clay with vibrant red thread and reveal internal tension such as anxiety, ADHD and mental health issues according to Fischer.

“Neurodivergency is one of my favorite things,” she said of the three pieces.

The giant clay sculptures usually take 200 hours to make, and her passion for using clay came from the freedom it gives her. As a multimedia artist, she has done stone carving, fiber, woodwork and painting, but none of those materials allowed her to create the shapes of her imagination like clay did.

People can delve into a unique experience of Fischer’s art in the A.D Gallery in Locklear Hall, where her art stands independently, a rare opportunity for a sculptor.

“This is probably my favorite constellation of my work, it is in your gallery,” Fischer said.

For more information about how the sculptures were made and more of Fisher’s art, visit Hollyfischer.com.