Cindy Weil: Only Wool

Sculpture is often understood through its relationship to our bodies and senses. Form, scale, and material comprise the most visceral qualities we perceive when we view a sculpture. In the work of Omaha and New York City-based artist Cindy Weil, the materiality of wool leads a conversation about memory, process, liminality, transformation, place, and labor.

Wool, in its various forms, is the foundation of Weil’s artistic practice. Felting wool is an ancient tradition utilized by civilizations around the world. The process of felting requires repeated agitation until the fibers are interlocked and matted. The resulting material is both malleable and resilient, capable of maintaining its shape when appropriately coaxed, which is often referred to as holding a memory.

Through Weil’s manipulation, wool becomes shape, texture, and color. This transformation can be unpredictable as Weil seeks the boundary between the familiar and the unfamiliar, reality and the surreal, the past and the present. This in-between space is where Weil and her sculptures thrive, challenging assumptions and perceived limitations of her chosen material.