Ardele monkkonen
CONTACT: ardele [at] ARDELE.com
Artist Statement:
Myth and lore captivate our collective consciousness but are often dismissed as insignificant. This tension lies at the heart of my work, which draws on Bigfoot, visitors from other planets, kitsch aesthetics, belief, and farcical humor. The cosmology of my universe is the colliding of our known world and the unknown. Much like an archeologist discovering treasures from the past, my work unearths the multilayered narratives and chronicles that exist in contemporary popular culture and historical accounts. By drawing inspiration from found objects and fiber-based techniques, I create installation, sculpture, and time-based media that blur notions of high and low, fact and fiction. Textile traditions and materials historically deemed “tacky”, such as woven pot-holders, fringe, crochet, and rhinestones, allow me to investigate limits of acceptability and celebrate what is deemed kitsch. Through the process of world-building, I give my viewer permission to inhabit the grey zone between reality and other-worldliness, entering a realm that might have otherwise been swept under the proverbial shag rug. I invite the viewer into my bedazzled and faux-fur universe, asking can you also believe?
Artist Bio:
Ardele Monkkonen is an interdisciplinary artist, born and raised in Washington DC. She received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan with a concentration in Art Practice in 2021. That same year she was chosen as a finalist in the juried Detroit Artist Market annual scholarship. Ardele has exhibited in Michigan, Washington DC, Maryland, and Florida.
Monkkonen utilizes many materials and methods of making in her work. Much like an archeologist discovering treasures from the past, the work unearths multilayered narratives and chronicles that exist in contemporary pop culture and historical accounts. By drawing inspiration from found objects and using fiber-based techniques, Ardele creates installation, sculpture, and time-based media that blur notions of high and low, fact and fiction.
Monkkonen is currently an MFA candidate at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in the Fiber department.
