Maybaum Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition by Victoria Wagner. Through the use of natural elements as material, the artist forges a deep connection with the landscape, not merely as an observer, but as an active participant in its narrative. Each piece is a meditation on the relationship between the artist and how she resonates with her surroundings.

In this exhibition, the viewer is encouraged to reflect on the symbiotic relationship between art and nature, where the landscape is both muse and medium. In celebrating these materials, the exhibition honors the intrinsic value of the landscape, encouraging a renewed appreciation for the natural world and our place within it.

From the artist

"To hear a bell ring out, to feel its tone, is to register one’s body within its surrounding environment. Bells serve as symbols of essential moments of existence. Bells sound in harmony and discord as their vibration resonates through time and space. They embody a duality that parallels our relationships to self, community, and the environment—a breath of awareness and a signal of disruption.

The bell is an object made for sound. In my work, bells serve as a reminder of the tonal resonance that a gong sends through the body, but also as a metaphor for dialogues we are invited to engage in. Each ring of a bell represents a ripple in our shared cosmological fabric, echoing the power of human actions. The sound of a bell, both soothing and alarming, mirrors our current state—beautiful yet fragile, harmonious yet threatened.

The tactile nature of bells, their metal bodies crafted from the Earth's minerals, as used in my paintings and sculptures, serve to connect us to the physical world and its luxurious yet finite resources. The act of ringing a bell is a gesture inviting contemplation of this moment. Like the reverberation felt by the tone of a bell, radiant color and wood grain serve as metaphors for state change: sound and silence, movement and stillness, urgency and hope. Bells, as instruments of change, call upon us, like each waking morning, to acknowledge our role in the overlapping systems of existence and inspire us to create a harmonious future.

In essence, the bell is a symbol of balance within change. The bell is a wish, a call to awareness, a call to action, and a call to harmony with one another, ourselves and the magnificent planet we call our home.

I find that working with local wood provides a connection to land and becomes a practice of stewardship. Beyond the visible realm is a plane of vibration, energy, and mystery. This plane is where empirical knowledge becomes interwoven with belief, where our eyes can play tricks on us, where logic is overwritten by feeling and where my imagery originates. Through engagement and observation of nature’s patterns, I witness coincidence, reveal symbols, notice colors, explore relationships and feel a deep resonance with the spirit of the land. Overlaying geometric constellations onto organic topographies, my abstract compositions are as narrative as tree rings or cell structure or the materiality of aluminum".

Victoria Wagner's studio resides at her home within the forests of Sonoma County. Victoria Wagner's work conceptually delves into the intersecting themes of environment, climate collapse, feminism, and the role of beauty. Through painting, sculpture, installation, and public art, she highlights visual spectacle by harnessing tonal vibrations, materiality, rhythm, form, and color. Central to her work is the emphasis on preserving the planet's resources, the elegant efficiency of nature, and a deep respect for the complexity of the human mind.