lust(rous)
Heidi Zenisek
July 25 - 29, 2023
Reception: Friday, July 28th, 6-8PM
More About lust(rous)
We have evolved to seek and value all that glitters and shines, whether it’s the thrill we feel when we see a vivid color, a gleaming surface, or shards of light— that need to see it, touch it, have it, goes all the way down to the bone. This work plays into our evolutionary chemical and emotional response to sparkle and color by using an iridescent film. The materiality of the film lures us in by taking advantage of one of our first and most basic human instincts: to be drawn to the glittering ripples across the surface of water. This instinctual attraction similarly plays a role in our fascination with natural phenomena such as the aurora borealis, galaxies, rainbows, the dazzle of a diamond, or the flecks in an opal. This work impersonates these curious occurrences and attempts to mimic the inexplicable isness of nature.
These pieces have been made or assembled on site responding to the space, to the light emanating from other pieces, to the sun moving across the gallery throughout the day and how they transition with the dark of night. The film is transparent in certain light causing it to layer on top of its surroundings. At other angles, it becomes opaque and mirrored so the surroundings now adorn its surface, creating an art object in itself while also becoming enmeshed with the space. It mimics, converses, and contrasts the environment it occupies.
More About Heidi
No matter how my work shifts in form, material, or concept, my experiences growing up on a farm will always underlie my practice. The work doesn’t depict the land but is of the land, of the farm. Having witnessed firsthand the whimsy and brutality of nature, my farmstead childhood has uniquely shaped the lens through which I view the world. Time is measured by the color of the fields and when babies are born. Vast expanses of crop are raised, harvested, and migrated. Large quantities of material are vigorously used for months, then discarded or replaced, and certain animals are only as valuable as their ability to procreate. My rural upbringing taught me the difference between looking and seeing, hearing and listening. It defined my understanding of good and bad, collapsed the distance between life and death, and showed me how to explore what lies in between.
To learn more, visit heidizenisek.com or follow on IG: @theheidz_ and tiktok @holographic.heidi
