This exhibit features a variety of works that formally connect through repetition and the element of the line. A linear stack of white pillows span floor to ceiling and layered strips of an architectural home decor magazine paper become three-dimensional collages. A heaping intestinal-like coil is sewn together from a long narrow strip of blue bed sheet and stuffed with polyester fiber. Using everyday material such as pillows, bedsheets and clothing the work references domesticity and the home. Using constraints of space, material or a predetermined rule, each work, built of multiple pieces, comes together to create a unified whole.
Leah Virsik is an artist based in Oakland. Her work is driven by an interest in materials and includes collage, sculptural fiber and book arts. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from San Francisco State University in 2016. In addition to directing the Adobe Art Gallery in Castro Valley, she currently facilitates watercolor and drawing to people with Alzheimer’s Disease. This is her first solo show at Mercury 20.
