Bag Lady

8 November - 22 November 2024
Madi Feist
https://www.instagram.com/feistfeist/
https://feistfeist.com/


Exhibition Statement
BAG LADY
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Madi Feist
November 2024

BAG LADY considers dysfunction and paradox when examining the symbol of the hand bag. Discarded objects and excess waste materials form the foundation of these usually commodified, utilitarian vessels. Bags symbolize various ideas beyond their practical function; they embody cultural practices, self-expression, social and financial status, and femininity. Feist investigates and questions these complexities by transforming discarded materials into wearable and impractical objects. Feist’s absurd handbag sculptures reference and play with significant personal and cultural traditions. BAG LADY invites reflection on the limitless potential of objects and our relationship with material possessions.

Madi Feist is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, assemblage, and video. Central to her practice are themes of consumerism and consumption which she playfully dissects through her work. Her long-term habit of collecting unwanted materials has fuelled a practice that reinvigorates and recontextualises everyday objects. She uses these discarded pieces to create works that are driven by chance and intuition, examining themes of femininity, cultural and social identity, humour and desire.

Her works often mimic commonplace items, like handbags or framed paintings. Upon closer inspection, these familiar items reveal their material uncanniness encouraging viewers to reconsider what objects are deemed valuable or disposable in the current socio-economic climate. Madi Feist lives and works on Gadigal land. In 2021, she completed her Master of Fine Arts from the National Art School, Darlinghurst, where she majored in painting. Recent achievements include her first solo show in November at Puzzle Gallery and participation in exhibitions at China Heights Gallery in February and Passport Store and Gallery in July. In 2022, she was a finalist in The Remagine Art Prize at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre and, during her studies, was the recipient of the East Sydney Doctors Scholarship (2020) and the Derivan Prize for Mixed Media (2019).