As far back as I can remember, I have been a collector of things. From rocks and insects as a child, to boxes of broken technological objects today, I have been attracted to objects that inspire curiosity and wonder. Over time, my artistic practice has utilized this process of collecting and re-presenting. I choose objects according to their use, form, and context. In many instances, these found objects are molded, sometimes altered, and then reproduced into a new contextually suitable material.
It is the process of collection in itself that fuels my conceptual understanding of the object. My current work examines the following questions by dealing with themes of technology and the passage of time: How will the objects of our daily lives define us through the lens of history? What will citizens of the future think of our legacy of things? What objects will ultimately represent us? Will our technological objects define our culture, and perhaps be its greatest mystery? The objects I create put forth a possible future history.
Chris Collins is an interdisciplinary artist working in rural Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Alabama, Collins received a BFA in painting from the University of Montevallo and an MFA in sculpture from Memphis College of Art. A passion for metal casting led him to Santa Fe, where he worked extensively in the art foundry industry. In addition to working as artist and artisan, he co-founded an artist run gallery and served as a contributing faculty member at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Collins was based in Los Angles until fall of 2023 and served as faculty at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, and currently teaches metal casting at Yucca Valley Material Lab. Collins is represented by Louis Stern Fine Arts in West Hollywood.
