Che makes things

Artist's bio

Hi, my name is Che, and I’m an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto, Ontario. My practice explores the darker side of the known world through an interest in the unsettling, strange, and beautiful. Inspired by counterculture and horror films, I’m drawn to nature, unconventional materials, aesthetics and the transformation of the familiar into the unfamiliar. My work is an expression of reconciling feelings around the finality of death, existence, and the social and ecological impacts of my environment.My background in practical fabrication has strongly influenced how I work. I have created film-quality props for The Mysterious Package Company, worked with sculpting and mold-making, repaired and painted animatronics for Haunted House Creations, and worked in the Scenic and Set Decoration Departments of IATSE 873. These experiences reinforced my interest in transforming objects and working across disciplines. I place few restrictions on materials, allowing each project to determine its own process. Research, reference gathering, and material exploration are often followed by hands-on experimentation.My current series, What Is and What Will Be, brings all these interests together; it involves synanthropes, wild animals that live near humans and benefit from human-made environments. I create sculptures depicting deceased, mummified synanthropic creatures, beginning with a squirrel and a pigeon. They are wrapped in colourful strips of reusable shopping bags collected from chain stores across Toronto. Through these creatures and discarded materials, I explore mortality, nature, and the built environment we share with other species.