November 5 - 21, 2021
From PRODUCE Gallery:
“Death of a Stag is a collection of seven paintings created from 2019 to 2021 by interdisciplinary artist Sarah Martin-Nuss. The exhibition takes its name from a poem published in a book of Spiritualist writings by the artist’s great grandmother, Lula Lee Locher. In the original poem published in 1961, the protagonist witnesses the soul of a dying stag leaving its body as the stag bleeds out into a meadow. This image mirrors Lula Lee’s imagined memory of the moment Lula’s own mother died during her birth.
The paintings, both colorful and whimsical, present an enigmatic exploration of the liminal space between life and death. Themes of feminine identity, transformation, and loss are explored within the layers of oil paint and pastel on canvas. The motif of a deer, often evoked through chalky, faint lines and partially vanishing shapes, is a recurring figure throughout the exhibition. Juxtaposed with scenes of menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, the deer emerges as a totem ushering the viewer through the fantastical tableaux of bodily flora and fauna.
A native to Corpus Christi, Texas, Martin-Nuss received her BA in Fine Art and English Literature from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. As part of her undergraduate degree, she studied visual art at the College International De Cannes in Cannes, France. Martin-Nuss has completed her first year in the MFA Art Practice program at The School of Visual Arts, NYC. Her work has been included in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, and is collected internationally by both private and public collectors. “
Reception: November 5, 2021 | 5:30–9 pm
419 Peoples Street
Corpus Christi, 78401 Texas
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