Meet the creator
Daniela Schnebly
Artist · Reno, Nevada
Daniela Schnebly is an avant-garde contemporary artist and designer whose complex, two-dimensional sculptural works investigate the intersection of cosmic genesis, material history, and mechanical engineering. Resisting the commercial pressure to produce a singular aesthetic, Schnebly embraces an expansive, multifaceted studio practice. Her work operates as a continuous ecosystem of ideas, unfolding across distinct thematic collections that challenge how raw materials hold meaning. Through a rigorous process of deliberate destruction and precise re-engineering, her structural philosophy takes shape in diverse conceptual landscapes. In The Cosmic Abstracts, she fractures industrial metals into sharp, geometric frameworks that capture the volatile structural energy of the universe. This metal fabrication extends into The Icon Series, which transforms recognizable cultural imagery—from a peace sign to a pineapple—into raw, structural forms, and Artifacts of Sound, a dedicated exploration of iconic 1940s Gibson guitars. She grounds her practice in environment and biology through Place-Based Explorations, which honor the diverse regions she inhabits, while Deconstructed Nature utilizes both metals, and introduces systematically torn vintage paper to build a visceral, layered dialogue with organic forms and human entropy.
Statement
My work investigates the ultimate event—the Big Bang—and the hidden mathematical laws that govern the creation and expansion of matter. I approach making as visual reverse-engineering: a way to capture the volatile instant when singular energy fractures into infinite structural order. This philosophy materializes through mixed-media assemblages and jewelry that share a common vocabulary of fracture, rhythm, and structural logic. In my metal and wood works, I manipulate industrial materials with deliberate force. Using disc cutters and machinery, I fracture metal and structural timber into sharp, high-velocity geometric forms, then assemble them with architectural precision. The result is not destruction for its own sake, but engineered disruption—evidence of transformation held in tension. Alongside these sculptures, I create a parallel practice through cutting, tearing, and ripping vintage designed paper, introducing a more visceral kind of entropy. Some of my jewelry is derived from the same materials and processes as the mixed media bodies—carrying forward their angular geometry, textural resistance, and engineered edges. Jewelry pieces are built from natural stones, where weight, mineral history, and surface variation become partners to the work’s larger inquiry into emergence and order. Across all pieces, I aim to translate complex ideas into tactile experience: compositions that feel both constructed and interrupted, precise yet inherently unstable, and rooted in the mathematics of change.
Available works (0)
No published works with images yet.