(Updated) STATEMENT OF RESEARCH
Nancy Sayavong is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the connection between the human body, architecture, and how our physical surroundings shape how we feel and see ourselves. Her work looks at the history of bodybuilding and wellness, and how ideas about the “ideal body” are influenced by trauma, culture, and American beauty standards.
Through sculpture and photography, Nancy breaks down these ideas and questions what we consider beauty, strength, and identity. She works with materials like gypsum, stone, and wood to create pieces that are physical, detailed, and engaging.
Her work encourages viewers to think more deeply about the body—not just as something we see, but as something shaped by personal experience and societal expectations.
Biography: (b. Seattle, WA) Sayavong’s works have been included at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, SOMArts Cultural Center, Oakland Museum of California, Verge Center for the Arts among others. Residencies include The Headlands Center for the Arts in (Sausalito, CA), Ali Youssefi Project in (Sacramento, CA), Cow House Studios in (Wexford, Ireland), and Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation in (Berkeley, CA). Sayavong received her MFA from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018, and her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014.
*Nancy Sayavong lives and works in San Francisco, California. She is currently developing a nonprofit organization called iNcluart, envisioned as a vibrant community incubator for contemporary arts. Located in the heart of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District, iNcluart’s mission is to provide a creative space where artists can refine their skills, connect with the public, and celebrate the powerful intersection of trades, craftsmanship, and artistic expression.