Mack Sikora
Hope Chest

Mack Sikora

My work engages with a diverse range of influences, blending art historical references with diaristic and confessional elements. Trained as a painter, my recent pieces explore the interplay of space and light through this lens. Drawing from both within and outside the canon of art history, my objects evoke traditions such as Shaker and tramp art, as well as modernist and Art Deco architecture. Though they may appear manufactured, each object is meticulously hand-crafted, often incorporating found or thrifted items. This concealment of labor speaks to a quiet, almost shy preciousness.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on themes of belonging and desirability. This “hope chest” serves as a collection of objects that channel my anxieties surrounding the aging female body and the societal pressures and desires associated with starting a family. Each piece is semi-functional, embodying my sense of unpreparedness. I often feel like a work in progress, but the ticking of my biological clock is ever-present.

In this body of work, I’m playing house. The ornate façades of each piece, carefully crafted and staged, act as a showroom. These objects are placeholders, advertisements for what could be—embodying both a longing and an uncertainty about the future.