Hypeart Visits: Sydnie Jimenez Keeps Her Ceramics Grounded in the Personal
Before she ever touched clay, Sydnie Jimenez was drawing. As a kid growing up in North Georgia, she sketched characters inspired by the cartoons and comics that filled her world such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman Beyond and Naruto. That early love for animated forms never left her. Years later, after moving to Chicago to study at the School of the Art Institute, she discovered ceramics and realized she could bring those drawings into three-dimensional life. What started with hand-built busts soon evolved into full-bodied figures: raw, wide-eyed, Black and Brown, often nude and full of character. The sculptures mirror people she had known, imagined or maybe needed to see in the world.Chicago became her second home, a place where she found community in the art scene and room to experiment. The city’s neighborhoods offered both calm and chaos, the kind of energy that fed into her practice. She started leaning into the surreal and the spiritual, pulling from her Catholic upbringing and the complicated legacies of belief. Her figures began to embody more than just lived experience. They held myth, memory and a kind of quiet resistance which are also prominent themes in her work.Sydnie’s recent solo show, ‘Gift Horse,’ at Albertz Benda in Los Angeles marked a turning point. Displayed in a domestic, lived-in setting, her sculptures felt right at home, alive even. She’s now preparing for a duo show with her sister, Haylie, at Joy Machine in Chicago, where they’ll present new works. Whether working in clay, experimenting with bleach prints or making accessible pieces for her community, Sydnie keeps her practice grounded in the personal.As part of our ongoing Hypeart Visits series, we connected with Sydnie to discuss her practice rooted in the personal and projects she has underway. Read the full interview below."How often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in 'fine art'?"Tell us about your upbringing in Chicago and how your experiences living there have shaped your work.I am actually from North Georgia. I was born in Orlando, but moved to Georgia at the end of elementary school where I spent most of my adolescence. I moved to Chicago in 2016 to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Chicago definitely feels like home these days; I have found such a welcoming community within the arts and with the super genuine people who live here. It’s nice that Chicago is broken up into neighborhoods to where if you’d like you can have a chill, homey vibe, or there is always something going on if you want to get into something artsy or fun. And the food here is amazing.Your sculptures predominantly feature Black and Brown individuals, oftentimes, in raw and nude portrayals. How important is it for you to champion marginalized voices through sculpture and why?Yes, I mostly depict Black and Brown people because I am trying to pull from my own experiences as a Black Latina. I think it’s so important especially for kids learning about art because how often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in 'fine art'? It was definitely hard for me to relate to art history, particularly with sculpture, since I mostly learned about Greek and Roman figures. It wasn’t until I started attending SAIC that I was exposed to works that inspire and influence me to this day including Mesoamerican ceramics, as well as the works of artists like Simone Leigh, Hebru Brantley, Rose B. Simpson, and En Iwamura. All strong contemporary artists working in the realm of figurative sculpture.Describe your earliest works and how your subject matter has evolved over time. Also, when and how did you create the signature look of your pieces?I started making art at a young age as many children do, drawing and doodling. I loved cartoons and comics, so that really has influenced the cartoony, non-realistic look of my ceramic figures to this day. I really liked shows like Batman Beyond, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Naruto. I started doing ceramic work during college at the suggestion of some of my professors. I applied to SAIC with a figurative painting portfolio, but luckily the school pushes for artists to work in a more interdisciplinary manner. My freshman year I got into sculpture and ceramics classes and really haven't looked back since. I think the world of clay is so easy to get lost in, it's a very enchanting material. When I started getting into clay I was mainly making busts and naked semi-realistic figures. Some of my professors pushed me to make works based off of my cartoony drawings, so basically my signature look comes from translating my drawings to ceramic figures."I hope many people can find something to relate within my work, especially those who don’t normally see themselves in an art setting."Tell us about the themes you address in your work and their influences.A lot of the themes I address in my work revolve
Before she ever touched clay, Sydnie Jimenez was drawing. As a kid growing up in North Georgia, she sketched characters inspired by the cartoons and comics that filled her world such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman Beyond and Naruto. That early love for animated forms never left her. Years later, after moving to Chicago to study at the School of the Art Institute, she discovered ceramics and realized she could bring those drawings into three-dimensional life. What started with hand-built busts soon evolved into full-bodied figures: raw, wide-eyed, Black and Brown, often nude and full of character. The sculptures mirror people she had known, imagined or maybe needed to see in the world.
Chicago became her second home, a place where she found community in the art scene and room to experiment. The city’s neighborhoods offered both calm and chaos, the kind of energy that fed into her practice. She started leaning into the surreal and the spiritual, pulling from her Catholic upbringing and the complicated legacies of belief. Her figures began to embody more than just lived experience. They held myth, memory and a kind of quiet resistance which are also prominent themes in her work.
Sydnie’s recent solo show, ‘Gift Horse,’ at Albertz Benda in Los Angeles marked a turning point. Displayed in a domestic, lived-in setting, her sculptures felt right at home, alive even. She’s now preparing for a duo show with her sister, Haylie, at Joy Machine in Chicago, where they’ll present new works. Whether working in clay, experimenting with bleach prints or making accessible pieces for her community, Sydnie keeps her practice grounded in the personal.
As part of our ongoing Hypeart Visits series, we connected with Sydnie to discuss her practice rooted in the personal and projects she has underway. Read the full interview below.
"How often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in 'fine art'?"
Tell us about your upbringing in Chicago and how your experiences living there have shaped your work.
I am actually from North Georgia. I was born in Orlando, but moved to Georgia at the end of elementary school where I spent most of my adolescence. I moved to Chicago in 2016 to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Chicago definitely feels like home these days; I have found such a welcoming community within the arts and with the super genuine people who live here. It’s nice that Chicago is broken up into neighborhoods to where if you’d like you can have a chill, homey vibe, or there is always something going on if you want to get into something artsy or fun. And the food here is amazing.
Your sculptures predominantly feature Black and Brown individuals, oftentimes, in raw and nude portrayals. How important is it for you to champion marginalized voices through sculpture and why?
Yes, I mostly depict Black and Brown people because I am trying to pull from my own experiences as a Black Latina. I think it’s so important especially for kids learning about art because how often in the American education system do young Black and Brown Americans actually see themselves in 'fine art'? It was definitely hard for me to relate to art history, particularly with sculpture, since I mostly learned about Greek and Roman figures. It wasn’t until I started attending SAIC that I was exposed to works that inspire and influence me to this day including Mesoamerican ceramics, as well as the works of artists like Simone Leigh, Hebru Brantley, Rose B. Simpson, and En Iwamura. All strong contemporary artists working in the realm of figurative sculpture.
Describe your earliest works and how your subject matter has evolved over time. Also, when and how did you create the signature look of your pieces?
I started making art at a young age as many children do, drawing and doodling. I loved cartoons and comics, so that really has influenced the cartoony, non-realistic look of my ceramic figures to this day. I really liked shows like Batman Beyond, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Naruto. I started doing ceramic work during college at the suggestion of some of my professors. I applied to SAIC with a figurative painting portfolio, but luckily the school pushes for artists to work in a more interdisciplinary manner. My freshman year I got into sculpture and ceramics classes and really haven't looked back since. I think the world of clay is so easy to get lost in, it's a very enchanting material. When I started getting into clay I was mainly making busts and naked semi-realistic figures. Some of my professors pushed me to make works based off of my cartoony drawings, so basically my signature look comes from translating my drawings to ceramic figures.
"I hope many people can find something to relate within my work, especially those who don’t normally see themselves in an art setting."
Tell us about the themes you address in your work and their influences.
A lot of the themes I address in my work revolve around the idea of identity. I am really interested in showing a diverse cast of figures with a range of emotion, style, body language and context. I hope many people can find something to relate within my work, especially those who don’t normally see themselves in an art setting.
What’s your favorite moment when crafting a work? The start? The finish? Or somewhere in between?
I really enjoy the hand-building process when making with clay. I use a coil- building method, meaning I roll out coils of clay in order to build my figures from the ground up. Sometimes people will watch me and say it’s like watching a 3D printer, haha. It was definitely hard to get the hang of, especially when building big sculpture, but once I figured out the drying times and what clays to use it became a very satisfying and enjoyable process.
Do you have any studio rituals, let’s say like playing a certain type of music while you’re creating or drinking tea before engaging in your work?
I always listen to music in the studio! I am super inspired by different kinds of music; often song lyrics will end up in my titles or text I carve onto a figure. Lately I’ve been going back to nostalgic music for me, like "Title Fight." I love the drama, it’s so moody. Maybe it's because we’re at the end of winter in Chicago.. But if I need some good energy I will put on Young Nudy or Young Thug. Atlanta rappers are super unique and have so much talent.
"I also like to make works at a lower price point such as shirts or cups to make my work more accessible, especially for people in my community."
Beyond nostalgic and domestic portrayals, your works, at times, are also rendered in surrealism or the mythical. What spurs you to lean towards more fantastical appearances versus more familiar imagery in your 3D pieces?
I definitely lean into the surreal or mythical with some of my works. I am very inspired by Christian mythos and stories, as I was raised Catholic. I have a lot of problems when thinking about Christianity because of the bloodshed and cultural erasure that European Christian colonizers brought to so many peoples all over the world, but I can definitely acknowledge that it was used as a tool by people with belief systems based in white supremacy. Still, a religion revolving around the beauty in suffering I think can be very cathartic to those born in difficult conditions. Sometimes you need to believe that your suffering will lead to a light at the end of the tunnel.
Also, congratulations on your “Gift Horse” solo exhibition at Albertz Benda. What was that experience like in spearheading your inaugural solo presentation? What challenges were you faced with?
It was a super rewarding experience, I am always happy to work with the folks at Albertz Benda. That was my first solo exhibition in LA and I was so happy with the result! I love showing in LA, I think there are many people who live there that relate to the figures I depict. And clay seems like it’s having a very cool moment in the Los Angeles art scene. It was also interesting having my sculptural works in a house-gallery setting as opposed to a traditional white wall- gallery setting. I think it gave the works a life of their own to be in a little bit more of a domestic setting. It’s always a challenge transporting especially large ceramic work cross -country, but at this point I think I’ve learned to pack ceramics well enough to survive the journey. And thankfully the gallery arranged transportation for the works in the show from Chicago through art handlers who picked the work up from my studio.
What projects are you currently working on or the most excited about at the moment?
My sister and I are working towards a duo show at a gallery called Joy Machine in Chicago that will open early August. I am happy to show some larger works and more complicated forms that I have been working on in this exhibition.
Photography provided by Sydnie Jiminez for Hypeart.
