“I hope to empower the wearer or viewer of the work. I use different fabrics that clash with each other in a way that is in your face. I hope to influence the viewer to feel as though they can be inspired to be themselves.”
Interview with artist HML by Jennifer Gilbert
Portrait of HML by Xavier Tavera
Art et al. co-founder Jennifer Gilbert, interviewed HML in March 2023, following her two-month residency at Interact Art Center, Minnesota. Their Gallery space has been offered to artists recently to use as a dedicated solo studio space. Without a specific end goal, the residency opportunities are more of an open opportunity for Interact artists to take risks and leverage the space for new ideas. HML used the time to develop new work and test new ideas in January–February 2023. Her goal was to continue her series of soft sculpture muscle suits.
I was first introduced to the work of HML when she submitted work for my open online exhibition callout during lockdown titled Art|Unlocked|Unearthed. She submitted a piece titled Muscle Suit (see oimage below), that was naturally snapped up by a keen collector in New York. Fellow selectors and I not only were intrigued by the suit itself, but by the deep meaning behind it and the powerful message it held. HML's work explores the intersection of disability, gender identity, and sexuality – "The suits break down the body into a form that you can see from the inside out, which is a huge part of disability," she says. "If it's not seeable, people don't recognize it. And if it is seeable, it comes with being ostracized. With the suits, I'm thinking, here's a body that someone will treat me better in. I make them androgynous so they're usable by all people."
Following the residency, I held an online studio visit session over Zoom with HML, and I so enjoyed hearing her answers, that I wanted to share her story, art and messages further. And for you all to hear what’s next, so you can keep your eye on her art. Enjoy reading and/or listening.
HML working in the gallery during her residency
Jennifer: Can you start by introducing yourself, and telling us where you are based?
HML: I’m a 57-year-old artist, I currently live in the Twin Cities, and I attend Interact studio. I focus mostly on soft sculpture and weaving. I came to being an artist later in my life. I’ve been creating work much more seriously since I began working at Interact. My process of creating has changed my life.
How long have you been attending Interact Art Center, and what do you like about attending?
I’ve been at Interact for about six years – I love attending Interact because I have the opportunity to make anything I want. It’s the freedom and the camaraderie of working with other artists. I attend three days a week, and I have the opportunity to use all their supplies to do whatever I want to do, or make whatever I want to make.
You were recently offered the opportunity to have a six-week residency at Interact as part of a new strand they have been developing, can you tell us about this?
The residency at Interact Gallery gave me an opportunity to expand and to just lay my stuff out as if it were my own studio. It also really gave me a sense of motivation and creativity. I found that having all the space and the opportunity to work by myself was very rewarding. I did a couple of things while there – an Instagram Q&A with the public on Interact’s account and, as you know, a studio visit with you. The studio visit was really rewarding. It gave me a lot of ideas – for example, the feedback you gave me regarding incorporating text into my work, is something I’ve been thinking a lot about. It was also really validating to sit and talk with someone who has shown interest in my work. I appreciated your feedback on the direction I’m going.
Muscle Suit, 2020, mixed textiles and fiber fill, approx. 36 x 42 x 5 inches
Fantastic Shape, 2021, mixed textiles and fiber fill, approx. 36 x 42 x 5 inches
How did you use your time, and what did you create during that time?
I finished Bohemian Rhapsody, a piece from the wearable soft sculpture series, that I used some unusual fabrics for. It was much more streamlined than some of the pieces I’ve made in the past. I also started a second piece that is more influenced by glamor and kitsch. That piece is still in progress.
It is great to see your work progressing without the use of a t-shirt and/or felt to build your creations onto - what made you make the choice to have the pieces free-floating instead? (Which by the way I love!)
As I began to make new pieces from the soft sculpture series, I became aware that they no longer needed to have that kind of a base in order for them to fit together the way that I wanted them to. I also felt that they were becoming more of a sculpture than being a piece that’s only about being worn.
Your works can be viewed in one of two ways. There is purely the aesthetic look of them, but then they have a deeper meaning. I've seen you write that the suits are bodies that someone will treat you better in - can you share a little more about this and their meaning with us?
I began the suits with the idea in mind that they were to be worn in order to try on different body types. The body parts were meant for people to try on different sexual and gender identities. This was for a play, but after that initial piece was so popular, I began to work on it with the idea of it being more of a sculptural piece. The suits make it possible for you to see people from the inside out, which lends itself to the idea of people and hidden disabilities. For example, the suit allows you to see the inside of a human being rather than focusing on their disability and/or their external physical being.
Bohemian Rhapsody, 2023, mixed textiles and fiber fill, approximately 36 x 42 x 5 inches
HML working in the gallery during her residency
And from this, there is a third dimension in the choice of fabrics you use too. Can you tell us about the importance of those and the message you feel from the selections you make?
I began by using a lot of felt, which lent itself to a certain kind of appearance – more flesh toned, softer, and neutral. As I made more, I wanted to create something with a little more use of pattern to create a more interesting piece. I particularly like reusing fabric that I find in thrift stores, etc., and fabric that is sometimes child-like and/or calico, which is an old American fabric used for making dresses a long time ago, when people made their own clothes. I chose the specific fabric with the band Queen on it for Bohemian Rhapsody because it reflects some of my influences – the 80s, and also music. I chose other fabrics that juxtaposed with the Queen fabric in a way that had a carnival or bohemian influence. It has almost a circus vibe to it.
I hope to empower the wearer or viewer of the work. I use different fabrics that clash with each other in a way that is in your face. I hope to influence the viewer to feel as though they can be inspired to be themselves.
And what's next... I hear they may feature in a fashion show in October 2024... Can you tell us more?
I’m developing a series of six new soft sculpture pieces – I began with Bohemian Rhapsody – for this show. My work will be displayed alongside a fashion show by Shelly Mosman and Carol Bruns, who are also Twin Cities-based artists, this fall in conjunction with Twin Cities Fashion Week. The idea in mind is to show my work alongside the fashion show. For example, we might have a voiceover with me answering questions about my work, like this, and a video with process footage and possibly someone modeling the pieces.
You can learn more about HML on the Interact website, by clicking this link.
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Banner image is from a photograph of HML working during their residency
All images from Interact Art Center