Victoria Wagner

"The tactile nature of bells, their metal bodies crafted from the Earth's minerals, as used in my paintings and sculptures, serve to connect us to the physical world and its luxurious yet finite resources. The act of ringing a bell is a gesture inviting contemplation of this moment. Like the reverberation felt by the tone of a bell, radiant color and wood grain serve as metaphors for state change: sound and silence, movement and stillness, urgency and hope. Bells, as instruments of change, call upon us, like each waking morning, to acknowledge our role in the overlapping systems of existence and inspire us to create a harmonious future. In essence, the bell is a symbol of balance within change. The bell is a wish, a call to awareness, a call to action, and a call to harmony with one another, ourselves and the magnificent planet we call our home.

The bell is an object made for sound. In my work, bells serve as a reminder of the tonal resonance that a gong sends through the body, but also as a metaphor for dialogues we are invited to engage in. Each ring of a bell represents a ripple in our shared cosmological fabric, echoing the power of human actions. The sound of a bell, both soothing and alarming, mirrors our current state—beautiful yet fragile, harmonious yet threatened."