Elissa Sykes-Smith: Statement

Elyssa Sykes-Smith is an artist currently working within the fields of site-specific sculpture, installation, performance and public art. She seeks to translate the expressive qualities of the figure, exploring form, space and movement pushing the figure towards abstraction and approaching sculpture as a multisensory experience that incorporates many forms of media to explore issues of and experiences of humanity. 

Her practice encompasses analysing emotional and psychological states derived from personal and public experiences and creating artworks in response to architectural and natural environments. When the sculpture not only responds to a site but also brings it to life, a dynamic relationship is created between the audience, artwork and surrounding environment. Key concerns involve encouraging her audience to experience an environment from an altered perspective and connecting to an artwork through a visceral, embodied response. 

The approach Sykes-Smith takes is one of evolution. She aims to build off her pre-existing body of work to explore new materials, processes and concepts. These evolutionary possibilities will manifest in the future through inventive installation, performance and large-scale public artworks.