re:surface
January  18 – February 15, 2019

Curator: Nicole Schneider
Grace Summanen, Elizabeth Emery, and Nicole Schneider

Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Friday, January 18 / 6pm – 8pm
Zygote Press
1410 E 30th St, Cleveland, OH 44114

"On the surface, things are not what they seem at Zygote Press. Curated by artist Nicole Schneider, Re:surface brings together Grace Summanen, Elizabeth Emery and Schneider as they scuba dive into ideas of concept and formality of surface in a delightful exploration that is deeper than its face value. The exhibition is free and open to the public through Feb. 15.

Elizabeth Emery's signature plaster sculptures are combined with threads and other materials embedded within each piece. Her use of material is deceptive in that we imagine they can burst open and reveal a soft interior instead of hard plaster. They are like small, puffy planets that beg to burst at the seams. Emery amuses us in particular with "marker of a long time," a plaster and mixed-media number that has doll arms, dinosaurs and plastic flora bursting outward like a microcosmic bang. "Thinking backwards" evokes an evolutionary tale. Almost crustacean, the salmon and bright pink hues remind us of a mutated hermit crab seeking shelter while simultaneously molting its exoskeleton. The richly colored "swallowing rocks" erupt with fleshy protuberances that shoot outward and descend toward the floor. It looks as if Emery used a pastry tube to create the perfectly whipped nodules and added gold leaf to create one hell of a delicious wall relief."

--Dott von Schneider, Three Artists Explore the Concept of Surface, and What Lies Beneath, at Zygote Press, Scene Magazine, February 6, 2019