Hailey Slaughter
And So She Sees You
April 4 - 25, 2025
Leedy Underground Gallery II
Encased in mounds of wool and moss, And So She Sees You is a reclamation of the female form. Exploring themes of identity and ecofeminism, Sybl’s sculptural works uproot pre existing definitions of female autonomy.
Within the art world, the nude female is often presented to elicit voyeuristic pleasure from a male audience, and these nudes often exist without a gaze to confront their viewer. And So She Sees You is a response to this lack of identity, existing as an antithesis to this patriarchal practice. These sculptures’ implied bodies are shielded from objectification as they peer out from the soft safety of their woolen mounds. Instead this series of sculptures reveal their full facial identity, confronting the audience with their gaze, emotions, and histories.
Artist Statement:
I am a Kansas City-based artist pursuing a BFA degree as a double major in Sculpture and Art History at the Kansas City Art Institute. My studio practice is rooted in the tenderness of empathy toward people, animals, and nature, through which I explore the human experience and beyond.
Placing my attention on the cyclical element of nature, I also explore the natural world and reflect on my position within that cycle. My practice investigates the intersections of identity, ecology, feminism, and connection, exploring my personal experiences and position as a queer woman within the crossroads of these greater experiences. As a multidisciplinary artist, my work engages a variety of materials, including glass, ceramics, fibers, and discarded ephemera, and in doing so, I extend care toward the overlooked and the underappreciated; remembering that which would otherwise be forgotten.
Through this act of remembering, I transform the ephemeral into the eternal, celebrating the inherent beauty and life present in small elements of the everyday and the within the greater cycle of nature. In my series of works, which I call my Immortal Works, I create pieces of ceramic food that will not rot, glass flowers that will not wilt, and undying cast metal memories that are monuments to the transient essence of memory. I invite tender care toward the neglected present moment while also reflecting on the forgotten past. I view my art as a way to reflect upon our impact on the world and each other, inviting understanding and care.
Artist Bio:
Hailey Sybl Slaughter is a Kansas City-based artist with a double major BFA in Sculpture and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute. Through a multidisciplinary sculptural practice spanning ceramics, wool, glass, and more, Sybl explores the intersections of feminism, queerness, and ecology. Rooted in the tenderness of empathy and drawing from nature as both material and metaphor, Sybl’s work invites reflection on how we relate to the world and each other. Investigating how patriarchal structures have disconnected humanity from nature, she explores themes of transformation, memory, and care—recognizing both the overlooked and the ephemeral. Her work has been exhibited at The Instituto Allende, in San Miguel de Allende, as well as at the Kansas City Art Institute’s Volker Gallery Group Exhibition. Her artwork was published in literary arts magazines Bear Review, and Elementia, and is included in private collections.