My work concerns the recontextualization of material fixtures of the world around me which have become homogenous through continuous exposure. In doing this, I am able to highlight these things as individual objects, textures, and concepts. I work in various media, often engaging in the the processes of bricolage and collage to blend traditional ceramic and sculptural methods with found materials, borrowed textures, and mass produced printed images. The use of these methods allow for the exploration and subversion of everyday relationships to these materials, and in turn elicit from them new sensorial experiences. Vibrant colors and uncanny forms are used throughout to create a sense of humor and reflect the absurdity of the everyday.

Drawing from my personal experience living as an autistic person, the themes of obsession and absurdity in my work are a reflection of how I view societal systems and expectations created for and by those who experience the world in a fundamentally different way from me. This investigation of obsession is a throughline in my work, seen through repetitions of patterns, forms, and concepts, alluding not only to my own individual experience with obsession and hyperfixation, but also to the arbitrary lines that are drawn between dedication and obsession.  Through my work, I am able to bridge the gap between these ways of experiencing reality by personifying my real- or imagined- version of the material world.

Lilly Allan (they/them) was born in 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2025, they received their BA in Studio Art with a focus in Sculpture and Ceramics, and BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Allan has been included in several group exhibitions at the Ralph Arnold Gallery in Chicago, IL including The Sculptor's Alternate. Allan has also been included in the Loyola University Annual Juried exhibition for the past three years, and was awarded first place in 2024 and honorable mention in 2025. Upcoming group shows in Chicago include Foaming at the Mouth at Color Club, and Chimera at the Chicago Sculpture International Project Space. Allan currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.