Explore over 100 curated Open Studios all over Portland from October 12-13 & 19-20 from 10am-5pm. View the interactive map on the PDXOS website or get a paper map in-person at most local shops (see website for more details).
*Above is the NE Portland map only. View the website for all Portland locations.
Writing a show statement is a deeply personal experience for me. As much as I want the viewer to walk away with their own interpretation of the work, I always have a concept established that weaves the pieces together. Sometimes the concept comes to me in the beginning stages, but often times it comes to me in the middle of the night after the work is complete.
In a bizarre twist of fate (on more than one occasion) the show statement has predicted events in my life, months after the show comes down. It's grounding to experience that level of intuition, when life speaks through art.
Dilate was different in that it was helping me to work through the complicated emotions of becoming a first-time parent. It's the crazy love you have for your child, the moment you truly appreciate your parents for the first time, when you experience the connection with your mother--understanding that for 9 months (give or take) you were growing inside her. Life is incredible and our bodies are remarkable vessels.
Show Statement
Marisa’s current exhibition Dilate examines the topics of inception, growth, and birth, as well as the sense of profound awareness that accompanies them. It delves into the brief period of time when one’s role transitions from child to parent, in the continuation of an ancient cycle. This shift in perspective invites a new understanding of the parent/child relationship, and in the new role of parent, an unmatched broadening of the heart. From the depths of the universe we emerge and to the depths we inevitably return. The precious time between is what feeds the breath of the cosmos.
The opening reception of Intersect at Gallery 135 in Portland, OR. June, 2014
In June, 2013, I'll be exhibiting a show of new cut paper works at Gallery 135, including a collaborative portrait series with photographer Christian Columbres. At the center of these pieces comes "Intersect," an 5.4' x 3.4' x 8.4' suspended paper installation. Two isosceles tetrahedron shapes will hang suspended in mid air, intersecting at the center point. These shapes are made up of over 1,850 individually suspended paper pyramids. Like two people crossing paths in life, these shapes independent of one another, will be represented by two different shades of gray. At the point of intersection, a kaleidoscope of color will emerge, symbolizing a coalescence of the two forms. These two energies forever alter one another. The lessons and memories remain, while the point of merger, the experience of meeting, is impermanent and the journey continues.
Nearly 1,000 paper tetrahedrons were crafted, strung, and suspended in a mountain formation mimicking the view of Mt. Hood from the city of Portland.
This installation was featured in the Portland Paper City exhibition that I co-curated with artists Jessie Bazata, Sean Garrison, and Rory Phillips.
Disjecta March, 2011
