BAD SaNdY is the Alter Ego of Artist Sandra Schnellhaus. Schnellhaus runs an International Celebrity Photo agency and is exposed everyday to 1,000’s of celebrity photos from all around the world. Schnellhaus fascination with computers and what they can bring to art-making as well as total submergence in popular culture has shifted the way Schnellhaus wants her art shared, leaked, posted. The Mixed Media mid scale pieces following the adventures of Bad Sandy evolve using the magic of Internet to heighten the images to digital works that are speed balling on fairy dust, a commentary of popular culture and celebrity events that hope spark a paradigm in digital art.
The Blonde Sweatband wearing heroine sends a message of strength as Schnellhaus, very influenced by the aesthetics of Roy Lichtenstein, does not present his tone of a sad, desperate or broken women, but a powerful fun force to be reckon with.
Schnellhaus is influenced by the attitude of Miles Aldridge photographs and heavily incorporates his work into the visual language she uses to talk to the viewer.
Colourful, Comic strip, pop art, street art, commenting on popular culture and celebrity events, but Schnellhaus wants to challenge societies difficulty with not seeing women who are mothers as autonomous people. The role we play as mothers is expected to fit a behavioral mould that Schnellhaus found in her work creating an alter ego smashes.
When fashion designer Jeremy Scott sent those amazing, fun, blonde Amazons down the runway at his Milan Presentation in 2014 for Moschino the dolls that Schnellhaus had adored and played with had come to life with an energy that confirmed with Schnellhaus where Bad Sandy’s source of strength came from. The Moschino sweatband.
Every heroine has a mission statement, BAD SaNdY is clear –
“‘The Question is not who’s’ going to let me. It’s who’s going to Stop me”
A strength that BAD SaNdY wants all people to draw from, you don’t need permission to live your dreams.
Female empowerment and strength as well as a sense of humour. Schnellhaus believes being playful or whimsical doesn’t mean its less serious or less important but better to digest.
badsandy2015 