| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Lylian Klimek is a leading figure in sculptural-installation art in Alberta. She has an abiding interest in the disregard for nature and ecology in our consumer-driven culture, and creates work that does not focus purely on formal concerns, but rather tackles multiple meanings and associations. She blends aesthetics with symbolism, and invites the viewer to contemplate and speculate about the world around them.
Klimek explores the intersection of natural and synthetic biology in much of her work, and raises questions about how this reshapes our relationship to the environment. She blends scientific fact and science fiction to create new forms and ideas which are alien, artificial, fake, and fantastic, and leaves the viewer to consider how the boundaries of nature and culture become blurred as we remake nature from the inside out.
Klimek’s approach to her work is analytical rather than overly emotional, and her subtle wit, rich austere aesthetic, and imaginative handling of materials continually surprises. She constantly experiments with various materials (including fibreglass, concrete, paper pulp, rubber, and wood), as well as with forming techniques (including casting and assembling). This focus on experimentation and research is an important element in her overall studio practice.
Klimek received her MA in Sociology, and also an MFA in Sculpture form the University of Alberta. She taught sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design for over two decades, and has exhibited extensively in group and solo shows throughout Canada, including at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in Lethbridge and at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Klimek lives and works in Calgary.
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