Memory, time, and the presence of touch are the core of my work. I create to examine my perception of the self, my relationship with others and objects as an extension of the self. As a collaborator with my materials and my environment, my material focus centers sustainability and ephemerality. I am drawn to the sentimental act of collecting objects and images. Reflecting on the memory of space, place and matter, I work to play and to be present, to capture and explore this temporal existence, and to unpack how it feels to experience life as an observer and a participant.

Abbey Lakey is an interdisciplinary visual artist living and working in Philadelphia. Lakey received her BFA in Painting in 2020 and a Studio Art Certificate in 2021, both from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Lakey’s practice includes, but is not limited to, working with fibers, handmade paper, found objects, video, and paint. The work is rooted in materiality and experimentation. Often examining and documenting the rituals of the mundane, the work explores process, intuition, and the imminence of change. Abbey currently works as the studio coordinator and assistant papermaker at Paper Think Tank in Philadelphia, and is a member of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia Center for the Book, the Philadelphia Animation Ensemble and DaVinci Art Alliance.