No Longer Disturbing: Beneath the Paper Thin Surface
Large works by Firelei Baez and Zoe McCloskey

March 19th-April 2nd (by appointment)
Opening: Saturday March 21st 7-10:30
DJ'd by Morgan Cahn (aka mc2)

Zoe McCloskey (zoemccloskey.net) is primarily a wood cut artist who uses text and symbols to create indoor installations, drawings, and site-specific street art. Simple hand carved prints are repeated, overlaid, and mixed with text to convey complex and alternating meanings that can be interpreted as social commentary, deeply personal, or simply aesthetic.

The artist writes: "My work is informed by an exploration of psychological obstacles and aspirations that particularly affected my generation of first world suburbanites born into the 80's and 90's. Feelings of isolation and disillusionment, overexposure to history and information, a deep understanding of sarcasm and irony, corporate misappropriation of counter-culture, the effects of psychotropic pharmaceuticals, and cynicism are all examples of obstacles. The desire to achieve a real, sincere, or meaningful experience, the desire to believe in something, and the desire to escape to a place that is innocent without becoming complacent or ignorant are all aspirations particular to my generation."

Beyond her personal fine art practice Ms. McCloskey is deeply committed to art for its social and generative value and has collaborated on community art projects in Belize, Argentina, Mexico, and El Salvador. While her work can be seen on the streets of cities throughout the Americas, this is the first presentation of her work in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Firelei Baez (fireleibaez.com), born in the Dominican Republic, is a New York based artist who creates giant works of intricate detail. Flesh, hair and bodies are poised in inhuman contortions and depicted with such delicate precision that her works are at once repelling and enticing.

The artist writes, “My artwork…regard[s] my physical self, my personal history, and Caribbean folklore. Afro-Caribbean folklore allows for malleability in the creation of the self, but I find my status as an Afro-Latina in the United States static and limiting in comparison. In response, I try to disrupt the current system of social categorization through the creation of characters that refuse definition….In Caribbean folklore any part of the body represents the soul, especially hair. It is necessary to protect one’s soul by making sure that any hair that is shed does not wind up in the hands of others. If a bird picks up one’s hair and incorporates it into its nest, then the person’s soul is placed in limbo. I use this symbolically loaded scenario, among others, to metaphorically illustrate the multiplicities and hypocrisies that make up the current discussion about race and class within popular culture.”

Ms. Baez attended the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting, The Cooper Union, and the Hunter MFA Program. Others of her large works are concurrently on display at the Hunter MFA Times Square Gallery in NYC.