Art

#animals #cardboard #Scott Fife #sculpture

Imposing Wild Animals Emerge from Layers of Cardboard in Scott Fife’s Sculptures

November 23, 2022

Grace Ebert

A photo of a cardboard bear bust

“Polar Bear” (2011), archival cardboard, ink, and red pencil, 26 x 53 x 29 inches. Photo by Mark Davidson. All images shared with permission

Armed with glue and screws, artist Scott Fife fashions large-scale creatures from a humble material in an exploration of the relationship between humans and our animal counterparts, particularly those we associate with myth and folklore. The beastly creations emerge in his aptly named solo show Cardboard Kingdom, which is on view now at Traver Gallery in Seattle.

Comprised of fringed layers and patchwork, the animals are wild and expressive, with drowsy, drooping eyes or snarling teeth. Many bear the markings of human touch, with drips of ink and pencil drawings on their faces and bodies. “Physically beautiful, we endear these animals with many meanings. But they are predators and prey in a brutal world. These are portraits of individuals as they are in nature,” he shares.

Cardboard Kingdom is on view through December 22, and you can find more of Fife’s sculptures on his site.

 

A photo of a cardboard lion bust

“Lioness” (2011), archival cardboard, ink, and red pencil, 26 x 53 x 29 inches. Photo by Mark Davison

A photo of a cardboard dog

Detail of “Dog With Picasso Guitar” (2022), archival cardboard, glue, drywall screws, and ink, 14 x 60 x 30 inches. Photo by Traver Gallery

A photo of a cardboard dog

“Dog With Picasso Guitar” (2022), archival cardboard, glue, drywall screws, and ink, 14 x 60 x 30 inches. Photo by Traver Gallery

A photo of a cardboard wolf bust

“Were Wulf” (2007), archival cardboard, ink, and red pencil, 25 x 25 x 34 inches. Photo by Traver Gallery

A photo of a cardboard horse bust

“Horse” (2012), archival cardboard, dry screws, glue, ink, and pencil markings, 46 x 64 x 15 inches. Photo by Traver Gallery

A photo of a cardboard wolf bust

Detail of “Were Wulf” (2007), archival cardboard, ink, and red pencil, 25 x 25 x 34 inches. Photo by Traver Gallery

Scott Fife's sculptures in a gallery

Photo by Traver Gallery

#animals #cardboard #Scott Fife #sculpture

 

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