Laurie Hassold

Orchid 7 

2025

Wire, tin, cloth, resin clay, acrylic, freshwater pearls, glass + metal beads

17 x 14 x 3 in.

Courtesy of the artist

About Artwork: Orchid #7 is part of an ongoing series that proposes a future narrative where nature is able to thrive in the aftermath of human extinction. In this sculpture, plant and insect combine into a single life form that emits pearlescent nodules for attracting various other plants, insects and even animals as potential mates. This little specimen will continue to make its way up the food chain, eventually incorporating small mammals and birds into its ever expanding lineage. At the height of its evolution, a being containing DNA from every life form on earth will be born. This being wil be in complete harmony with its environment and will cohabitate peacefully with others of its kind, as well as with every other species on our planet.

About Artist: Laurie Hassold, originally from Kentucky and now residing in Southern California, creates intricate sculptures she calls "future fossils." Her work imagines speculative remnants of post-human evolution, combining fossil-like structures with the discarded materials of modern society. Inspired by nature's powerful and often destructive forces ”such as earthquakes and the passage of geologic time” her pieces explore themes of reverence and raw beauty. Blending organic and synthetic components, Hassold's sculptures depict hybrid forms that blur the boundaries between life and death, nature and humanity. With an aesthetic that evokes dark fairy tales, her work examines cycles of transformation, mortality, and evolution. Her art has been exhibited globally, including at the Antwerp Zoo and Laguna Art Museum. Alongside her creative practice, she teaches art in Southern California, emphasizing the potential for discarded materials to find new life and meaning. Hassold shares her life with her husband, Jeff Gillette, and their two cherished cats.