Shark Girl

Shark Girl. . Casey Riordan Millard; American, born 1973. , Shark Girl, 2013 , Painted fiberglass. , Public Art Collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and Product of the Public Art Initiative partnership with Erie County and the City of Buffalo, 2014. Photograph by Tom Loonan. , Shark Girl is the absurd, hilarious, and bittersweet creation of the artist Casey Riordan Milland. While Shark Girl might appear sorrowful or lonely, there is also a comic element to this “fish out of water.” Here, in Millard’s first public sculpture, Shark Girl patiently waits, legs daintily crossed, hands folded for a companion to join her. , Appearing in nearly all of Milland’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures, Shark Girl was originally conceived as the artist reflected on the existential conundrums of life, love, family, and loss. Shark Girl can be seen as Millard’s diversionary tactic or as her mechanism for confronting the challenges of contemporary life. , Shark Girl’s yearning and desire for normalcy and acceptance trigger equal parts laughter and empathy. The boulder on which she sits provides viewers with the opportunity to bring the work to life by taking a seat and initiating a friendship with this bizarre half-shark, half-girl.