Artist Statement

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Alva Gallagher’s work involves a continuous exploration of oceanic and ice field movements and elements. She began to explore the deep sea at a young age and adores the solitude experienced in the depths of the water. She currently lives and works in her studio residence in the Bow Valley region of the Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada.

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I work predominantly with cast glass and bronze and am drawn to them for their unique manipulative states while molten; blowing and casting by way of lost wax technique into hand built moulds to describe oceanic movements and elements. It is my goal to challenge the parameters of these materials and to engage people to experience them as large-scale installations in new scenarios using traditional means.

 

She is passionate about the sea and mirrors its ferocity and serenity through the manipulation of her chosen mediums from their molten to solid states to explore concepts of depth and rhythm. Growing up in Ireland’s premier fishing port surrounded by the ocean has instilled in her this passion for the sea. Her sculptures are inspired by the vastness of the ocean and the intimacy of our diverse shorelines. They harness the intrinsic beauty of glass and bronze, predominately, to capture transient moments of tidal movement enticing the viewer to peer into their depths. Immortalising segments of unique coastal sites and flash freezing that perpetual oceanic movement to expose a moment hidden within their expanse; allowing the viewer to glimpse for an instant the lure of the seas depths; creating internal dialogues that are metaphors for the fragility of the human condition.

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