Leah Virsik: COMMON THREAD
July 29th, 2022 – September 3rd, 2022
Leah Virsik’s new collages contain bits of material from previous projects. Her work is formal, consisting of color, line, texture, form, value, shape, and space. Blues and oranges, complementary colors on the color wheel, convey emotional meaning. In Virsik’s work, blues represent comfort and disappointment; while golds, yellows, and browns represent her optimism and warmth.
Virsik’s works contain thread and stitching, painted over self-portraits, silk organza, prints and old business cards, and dots and holes, all which reveal and conceal. These bits of material, no longer used for their original purpose, now torn or cut and repurposed, speak of potentiality and a remaking of the self.
Abby Zhang
Abby Zhang paintings explore the unknown aspects of self-consciousness shaped by encounters. Their work is deeply driven by a sense of nostalgia—memories, thoughts, and ideas that have been integral to their life and have influenced their identity. Within the paintings, sensibility takes root in the depiction of a room. This room serves as both the custodian of stories within the works and a vessel for the artist’s ongoing process of gathering ideas. It also becomes a safe space that fosters a meditative, trance-like state.