karl hauser

Artist Statement

Most of my sculptures come out of me trying to make sense of things that don’t quite add up. They’re half-funny, half-uncomfortable—figures and odd shapes made from Styrofoam, PLA plastic, wire, resin, whatever happens to be around. These materials aren’t heroic; they dent, crumble, and misbehave. I like that. It feels honest. I don’t hide the seams or the places where I had to fix something that didn’t want to stay put. That’s where the real story is anyway. A lot of the pieces look like they’re trying to stand up or hold themselves together, even when they don’t fully succeed. I relate to that more than I’d like to admit. If there’s humor in the work, it’s the sort that comes from recognizing your own wobble in someone else’s. In the end, I think I’m just trying to show how persistence can look - crooked, patched, and still moving.