Art is a form of self-expression and a means to create a statement. Sometimes the subject matter can cause a stir. One artist in Sioux Falls explains how nudity in his life-size pieces pushes people to think about the human form in a different way.
Cameron Stalheim’s studio tells a story. On one side are pieces of sculpted of mythical creatures. There’s also a disembodied head with flowing blond hair. It’s an open room with a tall ceiling.
Stalheim: “I describe myself more of a figurative sculptor or an experimental artist as well I suppose.”
Lockett: “What is a figurative sculptor?”
Stalheim: “I mainly deal with the human form and all of its nuances.”
Stalheim grew up in Sioux Falls and obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree in Baltimore. He uses many different mediums to sculpt and paint. At a recent show he displayed and sold a series of small, cast iron masks molded together with found objects.
But some of his most eye-catching pieces are life-size and larger sculptures of what he calls merpeople. His fish tailed humans come in both female and male genders. His style is dark and mystical which he says a stark contrast to his personality.
“I’m a very funny, goofy, silly person. But then my art work has always taken a little bit of a darker turn. I think that’s just me working out these inner demons that we all have.”
Stalheim makes molds of real people’s bodies to create his merpeople. Most of his pieces are anatomically correct. He says he uses the entire human form as a vehicle to communicate to his audience. Viewers tend to recognize the emotion behind facial expressions and poses.
“I’m always interested in vulnerability and then producing those feelings that we don’t always show to the outside world. So, I think that’s a lot of my aesthetic.”
Some people have asked him it his use of nudity objectifies women. Stalheim says that’s not his intent. He says viewers need to realize he does the same thing to male figures.
One example is a recent piece of a minotaur.
“And it’s 75 percent of a life cast of my actual body, I would say. Because then I had to re-sculpt and reassemble it together. It’s a whole new series were I’m objectifying myself. It was scary. I’ve never been more vulnerable. I think it’s important to show that I subject myself to that standard.”
Stalheim says there’s a difference between being nude and sexualized. He says objectification is a perception of how people see their own body.
“There is like a positive and negative sense about that because like, you want to be an individual You know, you don’t want to just be a sexual object for somebody. But isn’t there kind of like a nice thing about being wanted in a sense as well? So, I think it’s like a really interesting conversation about being objectified or objectifying.”
He likes to hear how his art makes people feel and open new conversations. Stalheim says it’s not easy to make a living as a sculptor. The materials are expensive and the art is time consuming. He also works at a café and creates smaller, more salable pieces. He says the market is all about who you know and what people want.
“These pieces I make here, they’re large, they’re heavy, they’re burdensome. But that came from me needing to make it as well. But it’s just like getting a little bit of seed money and then turning that seed money into something more sellable. And then taking that money and just rotating forward.”
Stalheim says he doesn’t know many sculptors who make a living just sculpting. But he says he needs to use art to express himself. Stalheim is currently working on an application for the Sculpture Walk in Sioux Falls.