About

Shelf Life began in a studio class that changed everything. As a mixed media sculptor whose work is social-political in nature, the artist was accustomed to pieces that take weeks or months to complete. The Bridge Program stripped that process away, demanding 3–5 new pieces each night from the scraps and leavings of larger projects.

What emerged was something unexpected — small, transient sculptures, some using food as a component, all built spontaneously and without the weight of the "serious" work. The practice continued at home, driven by a joy in making that the long-term pieces had quietly buried.

The camera became a natural ally, not as a shift in practice but as an extension of it. Photographing these small assemblages elevated them, focused the viewer's attention, and gave the objects a presence they couldn't hold on their own. Printing the images at a large scale further distorts each piece's materials and minuscule dimensions…what was once inches becomes something monumental.

Shefik's work extends well beyond the camera. His mixed media sculpture Hollow — a piece based on a thumb push puppet exploring America's relationship with authoritarianism and the reckoning that followed George Floyd's murder — was selected for the de Young Open 2023 and acquired by the museum for its permanent collection.

On view: June 13 – July 25, 2026
Opening Reception: June 13, 2–4 PM