LYLA ROSE SHUTLAR

ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice explores fragmented identity through imagined spaces that blend the surreal with the familiar. I am interested in how memory, perception, and environment shape our sense of self. Collage—both as a concept and aesthetic—mirrors this fragmentation, bringing together disjointed elements to reflect the layered and often incohesive nature of identity.

Drawing is central to my work. Using tonal pencils, I employ intricate mark-making and tonal variation to build densely detailed compositions. This allows me to explore fragmentation through form as well as concept, as I construct layered environments where textures and symbols carry psychological weight. For example, in my exhibited drawing, torn edges and disrupted spatial logic evoke the non-linearity of memory and the performance of self.

By combining the ordinary with the uncanny, I position my work within contemporary conversations around constructed realities and the fluid nature of identity. Ultimately, my drawings aim to invite reflection on how we inhabit, interpret, and reinvent the spaces—real or imagined—that define us.

EMAIL:

lylarose2018@gmail.com