RHONDA WHEATLY‘s work is grounded in the speculative, metaphysical, and spiritual, and through it, they explore healing, consciousness expansion, and transformation. As an energy healer, they imbue their work with meditative focus and intent. Each sculpture is attuned to the combined energies and symbolism of their materials—vintage found objects and electronics, as well as organic and natural materials, including fossils, cicadas, barnacle clusters, moss, and shed snakeskin. They treat these materials as ingredients that flavor each piece with purpose and power. For instance, barnacles, which attach to objects or other lifeforms for the duration of their lives, are a “glue” that enhances one’s ability to adhere to intended changes. Fossils bring the energy of millions of years. Clock radios reference time manipulation and frequency—moving through states of consciousness—while antennas and crystals amplify signals.
Their long-form titles, themselves written works, are integral to each piece, as they indicate the objects’ uses as shamanic tools. While they push the limits of reality as it’s commonly understood, they also explore often-uncomfortable limitations. Caveats such as “For self-use only” on a power object that transmutes negative energy and “The future is a moving target,” on a hybrid device that predicts future outcomes of potential decisions highlight these limitations, emphasizing the importance of others’ free will, the inescapability of unknowns and uncertainty, and that there are few guarantees in life. Ultimately, their objects and accompanying texts hint that acknowledging a universe of vast, yet-to-be-understood possibilities while relinquishing the need for total control, is key to attaining radical freedom.
Bio as of 10/2026