Toby Zallman

Artist Statement / Bio

I am a Chicago artist whose art practice focuses on sculpture and drawing. I have exhibited both locally and nationally and was the recipient of several Illinois Arts Council grants, an Individual Artist Program Grant, City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and have had artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo and Ragdale.

My art transforms toxic refuse into evocative objects of abstract seduction, that bring a sense of beauty to environmentally devastating situations and arouse cognitive dissonance in viewers. Since 2005, I have made both sculptures and drawings which respond to the by-products of our society's rampant consumerism. I want the work to incite both pleasure and a disturbing awareness of the degradation of our oceans, land and bodies. My involvement with the group, Organizing for Plastic Alternatives, has channeled some energy towards finding practical solutions to these problems.