Mashanda Lazarus recreates common objects as beautiful soft sculptures – doing so in a way that even gives a tool like a ladder, a unique character all its own. And when viewing her work it’s almost as if you’re getting a peak into the true nature of the items themselves. Like a garden rake that’s shed of it’s rigidity needed to be functional and allowed to be expressive of its personality from exploring the landscape of its yard through the changing seasons. So if you’re curious to see some of Mashanda’s soft sculptures in person and live near the Los Angeles area, please contact CURIO by Anne Faith Nicholls to schedule a appointment. Especially since Mashanda Lazarus’ hammer is no longer a hammer – it’s got soul and it’s super rad!
Photo of installation by Mashanda Lazarus
Daniel Rolnik: When did you start making soft sculptures?
Mashanda Lazarus: I made my first one around 2008 in a class I was taking at Art Center taught by The Clayton Brothers. I never really made a lot of stuffed toys before that, so I’m not exactly sure where the ability came from, but thankfully it worked.
“Pay Phone [L] & Ruler [R]“
DR: Which piece did you make first?
ML: I started with a replica of a pay phone. I originally thought about making it out of wood, but I’m actually kind of allergic to the pulp.
“Soft Garden Rake”
DR: So allergies were actually a good thing for once!
ML: Yeah haha. I’ve also been sewing ever since my grandmother taught me how to as a kid, so it was just sort of natural to want to make the sculptures out of fabric.
DR: Is it to scale of an actual payphone?
ML: I took precise measurements of every detail and drew a diagram of it on this little pad of yellow paper that I have.
“Soft Paint Can”
DR: What material do you use for the bulk of your sculptures?
ML: 1/8” faux-suede, but I’ve only ever seen it at this one shop in Santee Alley.
“Soft Bicycle”
DR: How did the soft bicycle sculpture come about?
ML: After making the payphone I started to do a paper-mache piece, but it started to mold in my living room before I could finish – so I was like ok, I’m going to do another plush.
“Soft Pencil, Pen, and Eraser”
DR: Do the wheels on the soft bicycle spin?
ML: Kind of, but they’re sewn on so you can’t really turn them all the way.
“Soft iPhone Cable”
DR: Do a lot of people accidently grab your iPhone charger thinking that it’s the real thing?
ML: I feel a little stupid admitting this, but it’s even fooled me before.
“Soft Delft Tea Kettle”
DR: Did you grow up in an artistic family?
ML: My mom is an artist, so I was always around art and even sold my first painting when I was 9 years old. She used to work at an athletic club and every holiday season we would paint the windows. At first she would do the outlines and then I’d fill them in afterwards, but after a while I got to paint the whole thing. And even now I still find myself being drawn towards painting holiday scenes full of animals.
Detail of “Soft Ladder”
DR: What’s the largest piece you’ve ever made?
ML: The ladder I sculpted is about 6ft tall. It’s funny because when I was taking it from my apartment to the gallery, a construction worker came up to me and just kept saying ‘that’s not safe, it’s not safe!’ – he thought I was going to use it.
“Soft Shop Stool”
DR: Do people ever come up to you with strange meanings they’ve made up about your work?
ML: I think people just really get a skewed sense of who I am from seeing my work. The Clayton Brothers really wanted me to push that more and suggested that I act as if I was building this plush world around me so I could feel comfortable in the real one – but I just couldn’t go that far.
“Soft Surge Protector”
DR: Do you let people touch your sculptures?
ML: Sometimes I just like to hang back and see how people interact with my work – especially since almost everybody ends up touching something even though they know they aren’t supposed to. I understand it though because even though I’m really good at galleries and don’t touch anything – I sure want to.
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MASHANDA LAZARUS: http://ilovemashanda.com/
DANIEL ROLNIK: http://argotandochre.com
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[...] Mashanda Lazarus recreates common objects as beautiful soft sculptures – doing so in a way that even gives a tool like a ladder, a unique character all its own. And when viewing her work it’s almost as if you’re getting a peak into the true nature of the items themselves. Like a garden rake that’s shed of it’s rigidity needed to be functional and allowed to be expressive of its personality from exploring the landscape of its yard through the changing seasons. So if you’re curious to see some of Mashanda’s soft sculptures in person and live near the Los Angeles area, please contact CURIO by Anne Faith Nicholls to schedule a appointment. Especially since Mashanda Lazarus’ hammer is no longer a hammer – it’s got soul and it’s super rad! [...]