"The things to me that are the most interesting are the things that by their very nature have no answers."
In 2004, a class in veterinary anatomy changed Adelaide Paul's (b. 1961) work—both what she does to earn a living and the art work she creates. Paul now works as a teacher's assistant in the gross anatomy lab at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and she is also working on medical illustrations for a guide to the dissection of the goat. Her studio practice has also been greatly influenced by this experience, because while the animal form has been consistent throughout, she now possesses a greater knowledge of its internal structure. She states that "on a pragmatic level, rendering an animal accurately on the outside is vastly facilitated by understanding the organization of the parts on the inside." Her works pose questions to the viewer regarding consumer/consumed/consummated relationships by juxtaposing found and fabricated objects evoking multiple possibilities for interpretation. Paul's newest work involves large pieces covered in leather—a dichotomy between skin, clothing, and what lies beneath the skin.
Paul is represented by Clark + Del Vecchio in New York, where she had a solo exhibition in 2004 and has been included in several group exhibitions. In 2006, the Clay Studio mounted a solo exhibition of her work, Anatomies, Animali, Anime, which was the culmination of her residency there. In addition she has been included in exhibitions at Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA; Baltimore Clayworks, MD; Salinas Art Center, KS; and Neuhoff Gallery, New York City. She is the recipient of a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowship and a Leeway Foundation Window of Opportunity grant.
