Rebirth
Rebirth, 2023
Installation by Melanie Serkes
Patinated bronze, yarn, steel, shoji paper
In this installation at Old City Publishing, Serkes addresses a societal and universal question about what it means to be a person with child-bearing capabilities and specifically those nearing the end of their fertile years. The egg, symbolizing rebirth, also serves to remind the viewer of the fragility of potential and of the personal decision made by each person in this position. The aperture-like screens can be seen as either an opening or closing of possibilities, depending on the individual’s opinion on this issue.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Melanie Serkes (b. 1984), is a multidisciplinary sculptor working primarily in metal. She finds great enjoyment in learning about and incorporating different materials into her work. By means of repetition and rhythm, she highlights and interprets the beautiful aspects of nature with a high regard for craftsmanship.
Serkes received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University in 2006. In 2020, she installed her first permanent large-scale commission at The Bower: Native Garden and Sculpture Park in Shermans Dale, Pa. This 16'-long sculpture, titled Phases, is also featured on Public Art Archive’s 10-Year Anniversary Interactive Public Art Map. She continues a 16-year career in a bronze fine art foundry, refining skills historically pursued by men, such as welding, metal finishing and patina. She is drawn to the act of making as much as conceptualizing. Serkes lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
