Amelia Briggs’s artistic world
This Nashville based artist is the first of an ongoing series of creative profiles sharing their universes.
Words by Raquel Fernández Sobrín
The work of this Nashville based Indianian artist is deeply charged with the kind of innocence only children can have, and those who grew up during the 90s will easily find their own esthetic preferences in her sculptures or “inflatables”. Her creative process is indeed a recreation of those years: materials -fibre, latex, polyfil, paint…- play the role of a new toy that awakens the imagination. Amelia Briggs shares here the artworks and artists that inhabit her universe.
What’s the first piece of art you remember seeing?
I remember seeing “The Old Guitarist” (1903) by Picasso in Chicago.
What’s the one you could never forget?
I will never, never forget seeing “Untitled” (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)” by Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1991).
What’s your favorite artwork by someone else?
I don’t have a favorite but lately I have been looking at work by Bony Ramirez. I am particularly obsessed with the piece titled “Y Se Fue El Sol/And The Sun Left” (2020).
What’s the work of art in any medium that changed your life?
I am having a hard time thinking of one that changed my life as I’ve been influenced by so many artists. I will say that when I saw Philip Guston’s work in person for the first time it had a large impact on me.
Are you more into contemporary art or do you prefer the classics?
Contemporary.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
Amy Sillman, Ida Applebroog, Bony Ramirez, Laura Owens, Kudzanai-Violet Hwami and
Tschabalala Self.
Are there any in particular that have influenced the direction of your work?
Amy Sillman and Laura Owens had a large impact on me in graduate school.
If you had an unlimited budget, what’s the piece of art would you buy without hesitation?
I would buy “Two Woman” (2015) by Tschabalala Self.
Amelia Riggs’s studio photographed by Rachel Growden.