Lily Marylander
she/her
Oakland, CA, USA
Lily Marylander is originally from Oakland, CA but is currently based in the Mission District of San Francisco. She is pursuing two BFAs in Sculpture and Jewelry Metal Arts along with a minor in Ecological Practices at California College of the Arts.
“As a queer, adopted, Chinese, and Jewish woman, I often struggle to find complete belonging in one community. My work contemplates internal and external struggles to connect and find empowerment, and validity. I invite viewers to contemplate their relationships with identity and how it is negotiated within societal expectations and personal truths. I work with traditional metal media including steel, aluminum, silver, copper, and brass as well as found objects. As I continue to move forward in life, I am committed to both honing my technical skills and self-discovery.”
"Chastity", Steel, leather, glue, metal, 16” x 10.5” x 9”, 2022
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
“I try to practice sustainability whenever I can by taking advantage of materials I find on the street or in thrift shops in order to give new life to forgotten items. I think many creative queers feel a connection and empathy towards discarded items that many other people would overlook or disregard as junk."
"Bat Bolo Tie", Sterling silver, hypersthene stone, leather, 20” x 4.5”, 2023
“This piece is queer in the fact that I identify as queer. My goal in creating this belt was to invite commentary and debate on bodily autonomy as well as to raise questions on whether or not this device acts as a cage or as protection and its juxtaposing themes of security and oppression. We as humans often use our different privileges to oppress others noncensually and sometimes we willingly oppress ourselves as a form of pleasure.”
Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
"Aluminum Brassiere", Aluminum, stainless steel, zinc alloy, 1.5’ x 1.5’ x 7”, 2022