Pile Of Shame And Possibility

Accumulation is an essential component of Leomi Sadler’s artistic practice. The artist has made a habit of drawing, collecting images, thoughts and debris, and filing away hundreds of small elements until the time is right to bring them together.
For a long time, her work has been composed of collages of found materials. In this series, the artist uses her own drawings in the same way she used these bits of treasure, and one of her missions has been to finally find a place for all her tiny drawing fragments. 

Sadler detached herself from the narrative approach to creation and let the collages form themselves by connecting simple things: color, form, tension. Obsessed by the idea of filling all of the space, absorbed for days on end, the artist worked on these works until her eyes could no longer rest in one place.

For this body of work I was trying to mostly be led by the process without considering my usual ideological concerns, I understood how useful it was to find little moments to make improvised tiny drawings on scraps of paper, without concern for their purpose, no possibility of compromise, just bursts of exploration.

Many of the drawings were used in a book entitled “Terminal Discount”, published by Neoglyphic Media. This book points to the omnipresence of shopping in this series; images are arranged on shelves, stacked, catalogued and displayed. Labels are displayed and advertisements hung, like a distribution center maybe.

“Pile of Shame” is an expression used in many gamer and enthusiast communities. For Sadler, the formula refers to the habit of buying and collecting plastic models or video games with the intention of one day using them. Often, the collection grows until it becomes shameful and unmanageable. There’s a conflict between desire, intention and motivation, and although it’s soaked in consumerist gluttony, there’s a degree of optimism and hope.

I really admire and cherish the creative energy that goes into hobbies. It’s something that defies logic and purpose, there’s a purity that I’d like to find in more artistic pursuits.