Austyn Taylor (b. 1984) is an American sculptor who lives and works in Mendocino, California. Born in Rochester, New York, Taylor graduated with a BFA in Illustration at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2006 and received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Alfred University in 2016. She is a nomadic artist practicing her art around the world in addition to being a visiting resident artist.
Taylor’s sculptures are humorous in nature, where animalistic characters reflect on the banality of human nature. In her perspective, sculpture is a vessel where one can showcase pure authenticity: imagery from two-dimensional animation, modern art, and inspirations from ancient sculpture help visualise Taylor’s approach to perceive our inner thoughts and feelings.
Taylor’s solo exhibitions include ‘Cookie Monster’ at Think Space (Los Angeles, 2023), ‘Austyn Taylor’ at Albertz Benda (Los Angeles, 2022), ‘Rise and Shine’ at Août Gallery (Beirut, 2022), ‘Soft Machine’ at Kantor Gallery (Los Angeles, 2022) and ‘Icons of Unconditional Love & Optimism’ at Poet and/the Bench (Mill Valley, 2020).
She has received the Director’s Choice Award from the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts in 2018 and the Emerging Talent Award from Jamestown Community College in 2015. Her works have been displayed across the globe, and are part of collections in Lebanon, Japan, Mexico, the UK, South Korea, Spain, France, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Belgium, United States, Germany, Denmark, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.