Julian Cobb is a visual artist working predominantly in metal, wood and mold making. Her work creates a personal mythology influenced by her relationship to grief, assimilation and the performance of racial identity. She is inspired by the history of Chinese metallurgy in addition to contemporary influences such as comics, films and dreams. Cobb was born in Yunnan province, China and raised in Virginia.
She received a BFA in Sculpture + Extended Media in 2021 from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was the recipient of VCU Undergraduate Research Grant, Anderson Ranch Partnership Scholarship, and Gerald Donato Endowed Scholarship. Cobb is currently living and working in Richmond, VA.
She received a BFA in Sculpture + Extended Media in 2021 from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was the recipient of VCU Undergraduate Research Grant, Anderson Ranch Partnership Scholarship, and Gerald Donato Endowed Scholarship. Cobb is currently living and working in Richmond, VA.
“Combining influences from traditional Chinese art, anthropomorphic characters, chimerical creatures, and animals deemed as pests, I create mythology based on my own personal narrative. Using the relief as a storytelling method, I explore my own feelings of isolation, alienation and melancholia.
Pigeons and rats are recurring motifs in my work. Originally brought to the US for various different jobs and purposes, pigeons are now widely viewed as intrusive, despite their intelligence and incredible adaptability. Rats similarly are seen as unwanted and unclean. As a mode of self-portraiture, I use these animals to illustrate my identity as a queer, transnational adoptee, in congruence with the attitudes surrounding these animals. In addition to anthropomorphic creatures, chimerical creatures have become another prominent part of my practice. In Chinese mythology there are many mythical beasts that despite their fierce appearance, often represent protection and good fortune. In my work, disturbing creatures from my dreams are transformed into benevolent guides. My interest in graphic novels and films from my childhood, particularly science fiction, guides the aesthetics of my creative work. The thematics and horror found in these mediums also inspire my devices of storytelling.
Working predominantly in metal, I am inspired by the Chinese Bronze Age for its cultural and artistic significance, as well as my experience working as a metal fabricator. I am inspired by the material’s seemingly simultaneous permanence and endless potential to change. Metalworking has endless possibilities and the prospect of exploring and learning more about the material pushes me to keep developing.”
sketches
fab shop photos