Anna Church

artwork

Anna Dalton Church combines two creative disciplines- three-dimensional sculpture and two-dimensional photography- to create her signature artistic expression.

Church's work is a unique composition of objects that are meticulously arranged and assembled, giving birth to a pictorial form. Bittersweet nostalgia, humour, social commentary are eloquently captured through the lens of the camera, producing an image that teases and often tricks the eye. Nothing is as it first appears.

Church started her career as a graphic designer and freelance media stylist for interior photography in her birth country of New Zealand. Since moving to Canada in 2012, Church has developed a substantial body of work as an artist and established her place in the vibrant Toronto art scene. Church has been steadily gaining recognition around the globe and her work can now be found in beautiful homes and private collections in Toronto, Calgary, New York, San Francisco, London, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne; as well as in her native New Zealand.

"As I walk through the world, my artist eye likes to find metaphors, especially in nature. Flesh them out fully and follow them as they lead me through the mystery and intelligence of their world. Art has always been a way to create a space to bring awareness or to continue the conversation. Especially now, when creating art under global instability is both hard and necessary. I like to think when I’m creating new work that I’m not repeating conversations I’ve had but am able to expand upon them.

"Instead of paint, I build, arrange, and sculpt my visions to express & present my ideas. Photographing my creations has enabled me to bring my tactile, 3D sculptural creations to a 2D viewing platform and distill them into a magnified photographic form, yielding a Fine Art Print of Limited Edition. Through this process, I have explored and sculpted artworks from an array of surprising elements.

I’m fortunate to say the creative journey is as stimulating as the result. Finding things that I want to work with and that will fit the thesis I want to explore. I love that this process allows me to develop new concepts without limiting my ideas into a singular style. I love being able to creatively explore and push new boundaries with each new series I create.

I’m personally inspired by and create artworks that can be enjoyed at first glance and expand their themes with ongoing introspection. My artworks are surrealist in their approach, yet all possess an ease that renders them comfortable in a multitude of decor styles and environments.

In an age of sensory inundation, the visuals you surround yourself with should bring joy, create fulfilling vistas in your home and materialize your own aesthetic self-expression and nurture your visual wellbeing. My ethos is Art should inspire you to look deeper yet be a welcome cohabiter." - A.C.

in context