Artist Statement

Using traditional craft processes such as feltmaking, weaving and papermaking I create sculptural and installation work that serve as meditations on trauma, memory and the legacy of emotional turmoil inherited from past generations. The theory that anxieties and traumas are embedded in a person’s DNA and are then passed down to the next generation is a major motivation in my artwork. Using repetitious processes such as feltmaking allows me to physically engage with and meditate on the concepts I am working with. Material exploration is the starting point for all of my work and plays a key role in building the conceptual backing of each piece. There is a Sisyphean element to both the physical labor and the conceptual ideas. Retracing the path of ancestors, repeating personal patterns, physically tracing the words from a written text – acknowledging both my place as a maker within this context and the irresolvable nature of the concepts themselves.

Fafnir Adamites holds an MFA degree from the Fiber and Material Studies Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Photography and Women’s Studies from UMass Amherst. Fafnir is currently Assistant Professor in the Fiber Area at California State University, Long Beach and has taught workshops and intensives at Arrowmont School of Art and Craft, Snow Farm: The New England Craft Program and Women’s Studio Workshop. They show work nationally and have received a number of grants to support their exhibitions and studio practice. Fafnir has been awarded residencies at MASS MoCA, Women’s Studio Workshop and Vermont Studio Center. They are a Board Member of the Surface Design Association and a member of North American Hand Papermakers.