November 11 - December 17, 2023
From Lydia Street Gallery:
“Erin Cunningham (b. 1979 Honolulu, HI) is a visual artist living and working in Austin, Texas. She received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 and an MFA in studio art from The University of Texas at Austin in 2007. Her work focuses on sculpture and utilizes material combinations, such as cast metals and the female figure, to explore dualities of masculine and feminine, disposable and precious, fragility and strength. Her work has been shown internationally at The Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo and Mönchskirche Salzwedel, in Salzwedel, Germany. Artist residencies include BAER Art Center in Hofsos, Iceland, and Atelierhaus Residency Hilmsen in Hilmsen, Germany. Cunningham is one of the founding members of the ICOSA Collective, an artist-run exhibition space in Austin, TX. She currently holds a position as an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Texas at Austin.
“Elemental Topography” showcases works that venture into examining and portraying intricacies within the female figure, delving into the subtleties of the body’s external structure.
As I chart the twists and turns and individual segments of flesh, I take on the role of a sort of mapmaker. In doing so, I craft landscapes that break free from ingrained societal perceptions, shifting the experience of the body from an external observer’s gaze to a more intimate exploration of its surface. The textured application of lace introduces an element of adornment and refinement to these corporeal spaces, imparting a sense of softness to the otherwise rigid cast materials.
Elsa Gebreyesus (b. 1969 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) lived in Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States before going on to receive her degree in English Literature from Brock University in Ontario, Canada. After college, Elsa lived in Asmara, Eritrea for five years (1992 -1997) working on capacity building post-independence of Eritrea.
After leaving Eritrea, she came to the U. S. where she’s been pursuing her career in information technology and lifelong passion for art. In addition to her work and art, Elsa is passionate about organizations involved with human rights issues both in the US and Africa.
Elsa Gebreyesus’ work has been selected and exhibited internationally through the U.S. Art in Embassies program in 2012 Mbabane, capital city of Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and for a permanent exhibition for the Antananarivo Embassy, Madagascar in 2010.
Her work was also selected for
“Encounters Beyond Borders: Contemporary Artists from the Horn of Africa”
Kennedy Museum of Art, Athens, Ohio, January 22- May 29, 2016. An exhibition that brought artists together from several countries in the Horn of Africa, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia along the Red Sea.
Most recently, Elsa Gebreyesus’ piece “Cape Fuchsia”, featuring the letters of Eritrean and Ethiopian “fidel” (alphabet) was featured on the cover of the July 2023 issue of Cell Genomics, a scientific journal, that published groundbreaking research, furthering the diversification of genomic data, and informing the genetics of autism in African populations (Cell Genomics, Tuncay, et al.).
“I am drawn to abstract compositions because they require us to stop and reflect, to ask questions. Abstract art is also open to multiple interpretations. This adds another dimension to the artwork, a sort of interactive communication that flows from the artist to the painting and eventually the viewer.
I do not start with an end in mind when I begin a painting, instead the challenge is to find the end. This process to me is a type of meditation – an intimate conversation between the materials and myself. For this series, The Color of Words, I wanted to explore my own visual representation of poems and themes by poets or wordsmiths I’ve been inspired by. A small thank you for the gift of creativity, language, wisdom, and guidance they have shared with all of us.” -Elsa Gebreyesus”
Reception: December 9, 2023 | 6–9 pm
1200 East 11th Street #109
Austin, 78702 Texas
(512) 524-1051
Get directions