Statement and Bio
Claire R Lynch pushes the delicate balance between beautiful fragility and aggressive violence in her mixed material and kinetic sculptures. Within these dichotomies, Lynch explores the cognitive dysfunctions experienced in bipolar disorder. Cognitive dysfunctions are symptoms of bipolar disorder that occur when the brain experiences difficulty sending neurotransmitters across the brain or when the brain is not producing enough neurotransmitters. When this happens, the brain begins to cognitively slow, leading to symptoms such as short term memory loss, confusion, intrusive thoughts, anger, and depression. From there, Lynch’s work dives into the emotional impact caused by these cognitive dysfunctions. Through reflection, Lynch believes we can begin to appreciate the complexity and depth of these cognitive dysfunctions, and recognize that we are not alone in our experience of them.
Claire R Lynch was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, and did not explore sculpture until her later years in college at Stanford University. Lynch graduated in 2014 with a BA in Art Practice and focus on sculpture. After graduating, Lynch moved her practice to San Francisco, California, where she completed residencies at Recology and Root Division before moving back to the east coast to pursue her MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the Rinehart School for Sculpture program. Claire R. Lynch is the recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize for Performing and Creative Arts, the Perna Krick ‘31 and Reuben Kramer ‘32 Fellowship, The Blau-Gold Fellowship, and the Graduate Merit Scholarship. Lynch graduated with her MFA in spring of 2019.