Robin Taylor

“My art comes from a very private place. Many of my works deal with the emotional frustrations of being between two language worlds--the Deaf and the Hearing. I also recreated my past, certain medical events, and those everyday experiences that touch us all.  With my hands I try to connect these two worlds using universal emotions and storytelling, and hopefully, somehow begin to build a bridge between the innate cultural Deaf and Hearing experiences.” - Robin Taylor

 After a successful career in theatre, Robin Taylor found a new creative outlet in the form of sculpture. Her work often expresses the frustration of being a hard of hearing person, caught in between hearing, hard of hearing and deaf realities. She uses her theatrical background and daily-life anecdotes to shape her sculptures that evoke the feeling of hope and recovery. She shows deep concern for surface, contour and effective texture which gives a unique quality to her works; irrespective of their size. Another remarkable aspect of her sculptures, especially the metal ones, is their exquisite workmanship which sets her apart as one of the most outstanding hard of hearing artists.

Her style seems to spring from the form she seeks to convey, and uniquely suits its subject matter. The expressive movements of her works reveal her thwarted performing career and instilled passion for the potency of dance and theatrical performances. Her intricate works are often drawn from her daily life emotions and experiences mingled with western mythology and a touch of humor.

Over the years, Taylor has experienced various sculpting mediums, working in bronze, acrylic, steel, wire mesh, clay to name a few. The physical process of working with the materials becomes a performance in itself. The sculpture is the product of a tactile engagement with her medium.

“Avenue of Loss” deals with a lack of communication and language skills. A hearing mother is searching for her daughter who she sees as going down the drain because of her desire to learn ASL. The mother figure is caught in a snow drift, symbolic of “Frozen” language. The young girl is rushing ever faster from the mother by the meeting current. The piece can be seen as a metaphor for the loss of communication conveying tragic autobiographical experience depicting diminishing hearing; shifting the paradigms of mother – daughter relationship and the emotional and physical frustration caused by it.

“Trapped” is based on a tragic childhood incident which Taylor is still trying to deal with.  The painted wire mask of an adult face represents one of our many covers we use to enable us to get through the stressful situations. The work speaks on a human level transcending all the boundaries. Everyone has a story “Trapped” somewhere inside. 

Taylor has exhibited regularly in a group and solo shows within the US galleries. Her work “Two Worlds” is second place holder for Second Annual National Juried De'VIA Competition and Exhibit.  She is one of the participating artists in prestigious National Touring Exhibition of Deaf Culture Art: Seattle, WA; Rochester NY; Miami, FL; St. Paul, MN; Boston, MA; Lexington, KY; and San Jose, CA.