Artexpo New York returns for its 46th edition to Pier 36 in Manhattan’s trending Lower East Side. And speaking of trending, the artists and galleries selected for this year’s coveted Spotlight Program are definitely doing something unique and forward-looking.

Get to know one of this year’s Spotlight Recipients, D’Arcy Bellamy, below!

Blue Spiral

Q: Introduce yourself — who you are and what your vision as an artist is?

A: My name is D’Arcy Bellamy. I am an object maker. I create abstract (often kinetic) sculptures from steel pipe.  I start with a raw steel pipe in diameters from 8” – 22” and I work in a subtractive method (more like a stone carver), cutting, bending and grinding, removing material, and adding only space until the form reveals itself.  My primary subject matter is spirals, geometric patterns, the human form, and plants and animals.  I aim to surprise and delight the viewer and engage the senses of sight, touch, and wonder

Q: What is your background?

A: I have a BA and an MBA. I have a working background in Sales and Design in the Kitchen and Bath industry.  I started making art 20 years ago at a community art center in Dallas, TX.  My art-making has been self-directed since then. I have made and sold sculptures in Dallas, TX, Aspen, CO, and Boise, ID.

Entropy

Q: What is your work philosophy and how does that impact your work?

A: With each piece, my goal is to accomplish something I haven’t done before.  To push the material a little further, to add an element or detail I haven’t incorporated before, to try a new finish, to work larger or smaller.  The mild steel pipe I use often has a coat of surface rust when I get it.  I often try and preserve the rusted surface.  I don’t strive for the appearance of perfection in my completed work, instead, I appreciate the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, that of seeing the beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. 

Q: What artist(s) inspire you?

A: In no particular order…

Michelangelo, David Smith, Anthony Gormley, Tony Cragg, Fletcher Benton, Anish Kapor, Mark Di Suvero, Isamu Noguchi, Andrew Goldsworthy, Richard Serra, Alexander Calder, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad, Jack London, Joseph Cambell.

Steel Blossoms

Q: What is the best advice you’ve received?

A: Keep going, keep making art, and don’t quit. Art doesn’t have to be perfect. Make art that is your art, not a derivative of someone else’s art.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Q: When you are not working, where can we find you?

A: At the gym, a yoga class, the dog park, or walking in the Boise foothills.

Q: What does exhibiting at Artexpo New York 2023 mean to you?

A: Exhibiting at Artexpo New York 2023 is an exciting opportunity to display my work on the largest stage to date.  After 20 years of making and showing, I have confidence my work is extremely strong and completely unique. I look forward to hearing feedback from a larger, broader, and possibly more sophisticated audience. NYC is the center of the art world, I am excited to connect with other artists, collectors, and galleries

For tickets to Artexpo New York 2023 click here.