The tension between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional is naturally set up in Amy Bay’s work, reinforcing paper’s ongoing role in keeping that dichotomy alive—a constant reminder that paper is not always flat. For Amy, cast paper in her work has allowed her to produce playful and unusual sculpture. Bay’s Building looks like a small section of a sagging brick wall straight out of a comic book. Bay borrows from readily accessible everyday images with a particular interest in the translation of patterns from one medium or dimension to another. Bay’s cartoonish quality faux wall reflects her long-standing interest in the structure and symbolism of generic architectural interiors and exteriors, specifically their composition and details.
I found the program very valuable. It enabled me to create a technically complex piece that I would not have been able to accomplish on my own. It also gave me an understanding of the papermaking process that may lead to future pieces done in handmade paper.
—Amy Bay, 1998
Amy Bay received a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a MFA from Winchester School of Art, England and Spain.
