Sarina Brewer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | Minneapolis College of Art and Design |
| Known for | Taxidermy sculpture |
| Movement | Rogue taxidermy |
| Website | sarina-brewer |
Sarina Brewer is a Minneapolis-based American artist known for her avant-garde taxidermy sculpture and her role in the popularization of taxidermy-related contemporary art. [1] Brewer is one of the individuals responsible for the formation of the genre of Rogue Taxidermy, [2] [3] a variety of mixed media art. [3] [4] A primary directive throughout her career has been the use of ethically procured animal materials. [5]
Brewer was born in 1970. [6] Brewer's parents, also artists, raised her in an environment centered around wildlife and family pets. Her art arose from an interest in biology and nature. [7] She studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1993. [8] During her formative years at MCAD, she worked primarily with found objects, most of which were mummified animal remains. [2] Her early works were shrines to the animals they incorporated [5] and often involved the gold leafing of animal mummies, [9] a technique still utilized in her current body of work. [2] Her work with the remains of animals evolved into taxidermy over the years, [10] and she is self-taught in this realm. [7] She states her work is an extension of her childhood belief in reincarnation and that her taxidermy sculptures serve as symbolic bodies for transmigrating animal spirits. [11] [12] [13] She describes the art she has created throughout her career as an hommage to the animals she uses. [9] Brewer is a conservationist and former wildlife rehabilitator [9] who volunteered in the biology department at the Science Museum of Minnesota for over a decade. [2]
To form her own movement and break off from conventional taxidermy and its traditions, Brewer and two colleagues coined the term Rogue Taxidermy. [14] In 2004, Brewer and two fellow Minneapolis artists established The Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists (MART), [15] [16] an international collective of artists who use taxidermy-related materials (both organic and synthetic) [4] as the common thread to unite their respective styles of mixed-media sculpture. [17] The work of Brewer and the other founders of MART dramatically changed the way taxidermy materials are used. [1] The pioneering [18] work of Brewer and her fellow co-founders gained worldwide attention [18] [11] in 2005 after they appeared on the front page of the New York Times art section [19] following their inaugural gallery exhibition. The article featured Brewer's taxidermy sculpture titled Goth Griffin. [17] Positive response from other artists following the exhibition led to the formation of the collective. [20] Public interest in the genre gave rise to an art movement. [1] [11] [20] Taxidermy art (a term used interchangeably with Rogue Taxidermy) [11] is a trend that started in Minnesota with the work of Brewer and fellow MART co-founders [1] [11] and now has an international following. [2] [11] An influx of people working within the genre has led to a taxidermy revival in recent years. [21]
Brewer maintains an ethical stance against traditional taxidermy culture. [14] She does not kill animals for the purpose of creating art [22] [12] and she is noted as a trendsetter in this arena. [23] [24] Her work is made from recycled animal components [25] salvaged from ethical sources such as natural deaths and road kill. [12] [26] [27] She brought this policy with her when she helped construct MART. Brewer and her fellow co-founders incorporated this precept into the group's ethics charter, to which members of the collective were required to adhere. MART's "no-harm-no-waste" approach was one of the genre's founding elements; [28] [29] further, the use of ethically sourced materials has since become a tenet associated with the art movement, [28] and broadened the art form to appeal to people who previously opposed taxidermy for moral reasons. [28]
Brewer is regarded as an influential figure within the genre [24] [23] which has been noted for being largely female-driven, [30] [3] and she is acknowledged for playing a role in the shaping of it aesthetically as well as ethically. [24] [23] She has exhibited across the United States and has received international recognition. [24] [22] Her work has been included in Midwestern, West Coast, East Coast, and European venues. [12] Among notable venues are the Los Angeles Art Show [31] and The Natural History Museum of Geneva. [9]
Unabridged exhibition list available on artist website
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