Allie Pohl wearing "Ideal Woman" necklaces

Allie Pohl presents “Ideal Woman: 36-24-36” from March 26- April 23 at Hinterland in the RiNo district, the opening is Friday at 6:00pm. I first encountered Allie’s work last November at the “Where the Wild Things Art” show at Illiterate. I was very intrigued by her series of ceramic sculptures that depict the lower torso of a barbie doll. According to Allie, her objective in her art is to critique cultural trends that she finds impractical or destructive to the female form, and that her work falls into the category of feminist satire packaged in a post-modern wrapper. Be sure to check out 303 Magazine’s Sex Issue, Allie is the featured artist.

I recently sat down with Allie and asked her a few questions:

Where are you from?

I grew up in Winter Park, Florida. I graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. I was in Australia for 6 months during my junior year of college. I lived down-town in New York City, where I received a post graduate degree in Graphic Design from Parsons, The New School for Design. Currently, I am living in Denver and am a couple of months away from completing my MFA in Electronic Media Arts and Design at the University of Denver.

What is your art background/training?

My background is in communications, graphic design and mixed media.

How long have you be doing art?

I think of a lot of things in life as being art; so forever! I have always created some form of art, but I started to get serious about being an artist after graduating from college.

Briefly describe your style:

Quirky. I like things that are different, humorous, and that make you want to come back to it after time. Things that make you think, reflect, and even maybe make you feel a little uncomfortable; that is when the magic happens.

Briefly describe your philosophy:

Try new things in all aspects of your life.  Just jump in! You either like it or you don’t; either way, you will know, and will have had a new experience. I really like having a variety of different types of experiences; it expands you as a human being.

What are your feelings towards the Denver art scene?

I am relatively new to the Denver art scene, but so far, the Denver art scene has been a very accepting and loving community towards me and my art. I am gratified and excited to be in Denver.

Any comments or words of wisdom?

Believe in yourself and your work. If you can imagine something, you can find a way to make it happen.

Allie at her Ideal Woman: 36-24-36

Tell us about your upcoming show:

My next show is the “Ideal Woman: 36-24-36″ from March 26- April 23 at Hinterland in the RiNo district. This is my MFA thesis show and I am really excited to see it all come together. The exhibition will feature high definition videos, emerging sculptural forms and edition 2 of the Ideal Woman: Necklace. The exhibition comments on the female body in its idealized form encouraging visitors to view, squeeze and mold the sculptural forms which reflect the measurements of the “perfect woman,” just as our society so often “molds the ideal.”