Nikki Sass - Patinaed Steel Works

After moving to California I began experimenting with patinaed steel. The work as a whole is a pursuit to embody the ambiance and materials found in post-industrial areas along with my early perspectives on these places. The color combinations derive from my daily environment: peeling bathroom paint, paper on telephone poles, foundling mattresses. I’m interested in the texture resulting from the layering of paint, the physical process of chipping and scrubbing it away, and the timeline that emerges.

Dilapidation, neglect, and seclusion regularly surface as themes. The focus is based on the unintentional allure they can cause, rather than the negative connotations associated with them. These coexist with, what at times, is sweet and girlish. The contrast is a metaphor between me and the surroundings I lived in while young. Wearing a pink sequined skating costume while driving past incinerators, dye shops, and titty bars; and, the grey snow half melted on the lawns of half burnt homes near the doctor’s office are some of the memories that reverberate subtly throughout my work.