We loved her sculptural titles for the New York Times magazine, and just had to find out more about this artist who works in natural materials and has been around for a long time... It turns out that Gyongy Laky lives and works in San Francisco, and is an environmentalist and political activist--how appropriate for a Labour Day post. She uses natural and agricultural materials as well as recycled bits in her work which includes both large-scale sculptural and smaller, textile oriented pieces. The creation of words made out of branches and pieces of wood has long been a theme in her work. She shapes nails, twigs and wire to make them. In the past she has made a statement with words such as a cent sign, yes, no, pax. For the Times article, she created words out of natural materials to make a green statement: act, invent, eat. As she says: “Natural materials are very expressive…they also connect me to nature which is a deep love of mine.” Her work is very hands-on and labour intensive, as can be seen in the little video.

Another series comprises sculpture; these pieces are large and monumental. One is a stack of wood logs around a tree. Another is a large wheel in a field made of branches. The vessel series is the most accessible; it consists of bowls and vases made out of sculptural twigs. :: Gyongy Laky

More Environmental Artists
::Environmental Artist Phoebe Washburn
:: What is Environmental Art?
:: TH Interview with Julienne Dolphin Wilding

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