Location: United States
Christina Uebelein was born in Maryland, raised in Europe, and moved to the Hawaiian Islands in 1967. She currently lives and works in Honolulu. She received a Masters in Architecture degree and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1995 and, upon graduation, was awarded The American Institute of Architects, Henry Adams Fund, Medal for Excellence.
Her sculptures embody the aesthetics of assemblage, Surrealism, and Nouveau Realisme -- art forms in which natural and manufactured, traditionally non-artistic materials and objets trouvés are assembled into two- and three-dimensional structures. More recently, she has begun creating light sculptures. Her constructions combine organic, geometric, industrial, fantastical, allegorical, and marvellous elements into a unified whole. In the words of one admirer, “They are at once elegant, whimsical, and surprising.”
Uebelein develops her themes using asymmetry, a stylization of natural forms, an accidental and deliberate treatment of the same element, a combination of abstract and naturalistic elements, an illusion of depth created by overlapping planes, and a repetition of selected elements to create texture.
The visual metaphors of Uebelein’s sculptures move the viewer from familiar natural or manufactured objects and materials toward ‘an alternative universe of imaginative and analogical connections.’ They combine both mythic and comic elements. They scramble your intellectual constructs.
Uebelein continues her practice of architecture and also is the founder of Ten Thousand Dreams Art Studio.
Made of found objects, natural materials, construction site cast-offs, and imagination. All fixtures are professionally electrified.
19”H
Wire spool, pvc ball valve, acrylic shade; battery operated light bulb (4 AA)
64”H
Vintage wooden surveyor’s tripod, original George Nelson bubble lamp shade
Adjustable height
36”H
Marble base, wire frame, plumen 001 low energy light bulb
11.75”H
Wooden base, rusted wire frame, novelty bulb; in-line switch
56”H
Vintage aluminum golf cart, vintage rattan lamp shade; adjustable height
11.25”H
Wooden base, aged bamboo, plumen 002 low energy light bulb; in-line switch
15.75”H
Painted wooden base, twisted wire frame, Edison light bulb; in-line switch
Vintage turned wood base, goose feather shade (All feathers used are a by-product of the food industry. Feathers that would otherwise be burned are sanitized and repurposed, thus diminishing the environmental impact.); 6.5W soft white LED bulb; life = 22.8 years; brightness 400 lumens
“All civilization has from time to time become a thin crust over a volcano of revolution.” Havelock Ellis
Recycled paint can top, galvanized metal electrical box, junction box cover, glass lantern slide, translucent vellum, C7 light cord
“All experience is an arch wherethrough gleams that untravelled world whose margin fades for ever and for ever when I move.”
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Recycled fence board, galvanized metal electrical boxes, junction box cover, glass lantern slide, translucent vellum, C7 light cord
Dimensional art for the wall, with texture, depth, recycled materials, and humor.
13” diameter
Plaster ceiling light rosette, vintage brass soap dish, plastic figures
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” -- Yiddish proverb
Selected for the 45th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2015, by Roger Whitlock, juror
18.75”H X 15.5”W
Vintage wooden frame, mannequin display, fabric, screws, washers, wire
“Would they call me a diva if I were a guy?” -- Zaha Hadid, architect
Selected for the 45th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2015, by Roger Whitlock, juror
7” H X 30” W
Wooden cabinet front, border tiles, electrical wire
“The artist who could disentangle the subtle soul of the image from its mesh of defining circumstances most exactly and ‘re-embody’ it in artistic circumstances chosen as the most exact for it in its new office, he was the supreme artist.” -- James Joyce
Selected for the 45th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2015, by Roger Whitlock, juror
16.5” H X 8” W
Redwood fence plank, copper shelf, iron nail, plastic figure
“A pig resembles a saint in that he is more honored after death than during his lifetime.” -- Irma S. Rombauer
16”H X 11.75”W
Painted wooden box, flooring staples, vintage shoji screen pull
Like Japanese tatami, this assemblage is simple, but not uncomplicated.
14” H X 12” W
Cherry wood cabinet door with bamboo inset, vintage tansu lock, plastic figure
“You can put a chastity belt around the body, but you cannot put it around the mind.” -- Evan Esar
21” H X 19.5” W
Vintage bamboo frame, cloth, hand formed ceramic sticks, found driftwood
A play on the phrase, “tidal drift”, as some of the objects in the assemblage were found beachcombing in Japan.
16” H X 16” W
Wooden frame, batik fabric, rusted metal corners, copper wire, vintage toy figure
"The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong." -- Carl Jung
“The heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Scrap wood, vintage furniture pediment, vintage metal toy
“You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain
Selected for the 36th Annual Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce “Commitment to Excellence” Art Exhibition, August 2014, by James Jensen, Gregory E. Northrop, and Yida Wang, jurors; and Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Contemporary Show, July 2015, by David Behelke, juror
“How few things can a man measure with the tape of his understanding.” Henry David Thoreau
Plywood, vintage tape measure, wooden compass
“Blank walls are a shared canvas and we're all artists.” Carla H. Krueger
Wooden box, paper, neon led tube
A mix of literal meaning (the materials) and parody (their assembly) intended to scramble the usual intellectual constructs.
12” X 5” X 5”
Ceramic base, vintage Coca-Cola bottle, vintage ceramic Japanese doll head; vintage pocket watch
Lori Ohtani is artistic director of a local butoh dance troupe (www.tangentz.net) and this sculpture is homage to the surrealism present in that contemporary art form.
Selected for the 43rd Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Contemporary Show Juried Exhibition, January 2013, by Ron Kowalke, juror
7.75” X 6” diameter
Wooden furniture foot, framed mirror, vintage toy figures
These three “youths” rejoice having found the legendary spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters.
Selected for the Women’s Caucus for Art, Colorado Chapter, Mixed Media Show, August 2013, by Patricia Calhoun, juror.
9.5” X 6.25” diameter
Iron base, aluminum pedestal. bone fragment, vintage lineol figures
Traditionally, bone pickers scavenged materials (rags, bones, and various metals) and survived on the proceeds of what they collected each day. The idiomatic expression, to pick a bone, on the other hand, has meant to quarrel or to dispute over something. These sheep have clearly picked all the meat off this bone, leaving only a bone of contention.
Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2014, by Harry Tsuchidana, juror
19” X 7.5” X 5.5”
Keawe wood stump, copper pipe, ceramic egg, dried lotus leaf, hand formed mudman, brass disc
“Whoever would partake of all good things must understand how to be small at times.” -- Friedrich Nietzsche
Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2014, by Harry Tsuchidana, juror
6.25” X 8.25” diameter
Partial hard rubber horse, found brass discs
The Roman god Mercury is a god of transitions and boundaries. He is quick and cunning, moving freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine as emissary and messenger of the gods, intercessor between mortals and the divine, and conductor of souls into the afterlife.
Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2014, by Harry Tsuchidana, juror
9” X 11.75” X 11.75”
Wooden base, plexiglass sample, stone horse, vintage angel wings, slate chip
The Horse of a Different Color was the horse that drew Dorothy's carriage in the opening Emerald City scenes of the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz. It would periodically change colors, hence its name. It has since been generalized to mean a situation or subject that is different from what you had first thought. This assemblage expands on the concept.
Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Aloha Show Juried Exhibition, March 2014, by Harry Tsuchidana, juror
11.5” diameter
Plastic platter, Japanese paper, found iron grate, plastic fish
Although the figurative expression, “circling the drain” has negative connotations, this assemblage sees only fun to be had by the activity.
(El-o-eez) 1. Origin: a female personal name, the Modern French form of the Old French Heloise, itself derived from the Ancient Germanic Helewidis meaning “healthy and robust”; 2. Historic: Heloise was popularized in the Middle Ages owing to the fame of a 12th century Frenchwoman whose legendary story of unrequited love with the famous scholar Pierre Abelard was well-known in her own lifetime: the two lovers were tragically separated – she forced into a nunnery and he into a monastery – their romance would survive only through love letters; 3. Usage: the Medieval English form (Helewis) vanished after the 13th century but was later revived as Eloise in the 19th century; this was the name used for the titular character in a 1950s book series about a delightful six-year old who lives “on the tippy-top floor” at the Plaza Hotel in New York and for my mother whose style reached its apogee in Paris.
“…we all have different things to offer.” Queen Latifah
Title taken from the American rock band of the same name, from Berkeley, formed in 1991. Their third album was Across a Wire. See also, Ted Hughes’ poems in Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow. Crows remind us that magic is everywhere; and counting is an invocation.
Selected for the 44th Annual Association of Hawaii Artists Contemporary Show, July 2015, by David Behelke, juror
“Le Ballon”
“La Planete”
“Le Marbre”
“Le Panier Rouge”
“Le Golf”
“Le Bambou”
“Le Torsion”
“Le Cygne”
“Combustible”
“Aide-Memoire: Stonehenge”
“Bathtime Buddies”
“Construction Diva”
“Entropy”
“Nativity Scene”
“A Very Japanese Staple”
“Thrill of the Chaste”
“Tribal Drift”
“Swims with the Fishes”
“Long Row to Hoe”
“Focus”
“Full Measure”
“Nara Tagline”
“Lori Ohtani's Timepiece”
“Fountain of Youths”
“The Bone Pickers”
“Seated Lotus”
“Mercury Rising”
“Horse of a Different Color”
“Circling the Drain”
“Homage à Eloise”
“Hand /Some”
“Counting Crows”
