Art crushes. Like people crushes but only better. That glorious moment when you're scrolling through your Instagram feed and suddenly you stumble upon an image that stops you in your tracks and you just know that it is the beginning of something beautiful. You can't get enough and you fall down the rabbit hole of hashtags and hyperlinks.
Art Crush of the Week: Abigail Goldman
Abigail Goldman is a contemporary artist who takes miniatures to a whole new level. Created at a scale of 1:87, Goldman's "dieoramas" present intricately gruesome crime scenes and violent acts. Goldman worked for many years as a reporter and an investigator for the Federal Public Defender in Las Vegas, which may shed light on some of the themes present in her work.
In a recent interview with Juxtapoz magazine, Goldman explains: "I was drawn to reporting and investigating because of my lifelong interest in crime and bad behavior. Observing and working in the legal system gave me sideline access to the fascinating, fluid dynamics of crime – and crime can tap into everything: misery, love, malice, sex, grief, humor, humanity and inhumanity, life and death. I try to imbue all my work with that mortal mix, in miniature."
Goldman's dieoramas range in size from just a couple of inches to three feet, although the scale remains the same, meaning that 1 foot in the real world works out to be 3.55 mm in the artwork. The figures are all less than an inch tall, she explains "The figures are actually model railroad figures – I just maim them."
The pieces inevitably evoke curiosity in the viewer and an equal sense of revulsion at the subject matter, however, they are created with an elegant twist of humor - you can't help but marvel at them. In very exciting news, Station 16 Gallery will soon be receiving art work by Abigail Goldman! Stay tuned!
