Artist Profile: Shilin Hora
Published January 1, 2017 by Nicole Webb
Shilin Hora
b. 1976
"I use the natural world of plants, animals, and landscapes as a means to investigate the relationship that exists between nature, me, and other humans…Through abstraction and rendering, via line and color, I try to communicate the connection I have with the land and animals in a way that will be seen as both curious and playful. My goal as an artist is to create imagery which reawakens the observational interest in nature and encourages rapprochement and exploration in the natural world.” – Shilin Hora
Shilin Hora graduated from Grand Valley State University, where she began to combine her artistic pursuits with her love of the natural world. In her printmaking and sculpture, Hora uses physical elements of the natural world, specifically seeds, to create “Seed Museums.” These sculptural works call back to 19th-century Wardian cases used by botanists. Seeds are dried, arranged, and placed behind plexiglass, emphasizing their unique inherent qualities. Through these works, Hora uses themes of sustainability, harvest, and conservation to inspect the relationship between humans and their environment. She has strict commitments to sustainability, utilizing repurposed and sustainable materials to house the collections. Each seed museum tells a story of the relationship Hora had with a specific place.
Shilin Hora, Walnuts and Seeds, monoprint, 2000, 2001.1039.1.
Shilin Hora, Dedicated to the Green Pepper & Staghorn Sumac Tree Seed #184007, mixed media (thread, botanical tree and culinary seeds, and litterfall), 2018, 2019.16.1.
Shilin Hora, Why Cannot Humans Keep Their Destructive Habits in Check?, etching with chine-collé, 2001, 2001.1041.1.