Building on her career in millinery, Ryan Wilde (b. 1980, New York, NY) utilizes felt and wood mold-making to expand her craft, throwing a spotlight on the theatricality of gender and the development of female identity, particularly as it pertains to self-preservation. She is particularly interested in the molds we create when mirroring fetishized personae and the signs we generate from those molds. Her sculpture intends to accentuate an uncanny extreme woven into the objectification of women and the fetishization of clothing. For Wilde, felt is employed as a tangible reminder of the sartorial strategies women use to navigate patriarchal systems. Wilde received a BFA from Syracuse University and an MFA from Queens College. Most recently, her work has been exhibited at Anton Kern Gallery, Perrotin, and Galerie Julien Cadet in Paris. Her work as both artist and designer has been featured in Vogue, New American Paintings, New York Magazine, and Forbes, among other publications.Ryanwilde.com @ryanwildenyc