ARLEN PELLETIER

ARTIST STATEMENT

If there is one common thread throughout my life it’s this: when in doubt, make art. It’s where I go when I’m uncertain or trying to make sense of things. When I experienced a year of tremendous loss in 2021, including the sudden, tragic death of my mother, and dramatic shifts in my personal life, I turned to art. As a solo parent of three young girls, with little time to process my own feelings, I used my nights and rare quiet moments to slowly teach myself to mix and cast bronze and glass. I began to notice that the challenges I faced in this new medium mirrored the complex healing journey I was on: ups and downs, small successes and setbacks, with no option but to continue pushing through. The character of Tenderheart was a vehicle to explore the many stages of loss in a way that felt accessible, familiar, and playful. Classic sculpture materials offered an interesting juxtaposition to the character-driven sculpts I would typically cast in plastic in my day job. Bronze is timeless in the way that loss is—patinated over time, but always present.

Part homage to my mom who was a passionate collector of bronzes, and part personal challenge, Tenderheart is an exploration of what it is to be human, alongside the fundamental question: what makes art, art? By using a cute character reminiscent of a blind-box collectible to explore darker themes of grief and loss, and by employing traditional materials in a non-traditional way, this project challenged me to question context, medium, and theme when considering art. And, most importantly, it serves as an offering to the memory of Baraba Pelletier, who would have loved it all, no matter what.

Tenderheart is an experimental project by production artist Arlen Pelletier. Arlen works as an art director and sculptor, creating action figures sold in stores and online around the world.

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