Artist’s Statement
Amanda Warmuth’s art practice investigates the idea of body as built environment. Exploring the inner bodily life, as well as her own body’s impact on the built and human environment around her. Ordinary materials and aspects of the body are celebrated. She sculpts with clay, fabric, pixels, footpaths, paper and herself; splats ink with her walking sticks; tells stories with pencils and matches; and finds the softness in cobblestones.
Amanda takes a sideways view of simple things and shows their meaning and complexity. She also makes art games with no rules. Much of her art is made to be worn or used or touched. Engagement with her own body, and evolving mobility, moves Amanda towards performance and art as social practice. Seeking wildness and freedom, Amanda makes a fool of herself in public and wants to make real change. Creating warmth, wonder and connection as medicine for a vulnerable body and the existential threat.
Figure Ground is an expanding body of work exploring the artist’s urban location and artistic potential. Sculpture, drawings, maps, soft surfaces, pasteups, collaborations, renegade installations and negotiations with neighbours for artistic opportunities are ongoing. Amanda is the founder of No Walls Gallery and aims to positively impact the accessibility of art galleries and access to art at large.
Biography
Amanda Warmuth (b.1976) is an emerging artist who was born and is based in Naarm/Melbourne. She is currently at LaTrobe College of Art and Design, completing an Advanced Diploma of Visual Art. A life long maker, writer and documenter, her body of work folds her past experiences and archive into her current practice.
Amanda worked as an architect for 15 years, helping build several major Melbourne laboratories. She held roles in access consultancy and design education. Amanda has lived experience of disability, and built a successful peer support group for other people with MS. She travelled around Australia in the ambulance she converted between 2012-2019.
Amanda lives on an inner city lane and much of her work has responded directly to this. Amanda is learning to do wheelies, and joined a wheelchair dance club. She is part of a weekly gaming team called the Apocalyptic Algorithms and her current muse is her cat Patti Smith.
