Cyrilla Mozenter: More saints seen
October 16, 2005—March 12, 2006Cyrilla Mozenter's More saints seen (2002 to 2005) consisted of a series of small-scale vessels made primarily from cream-colored felt. These imperfect, even awkward, objects have an elegance and spirituality that belies their material and fabrication. Mozenter's title comes from a line in Gertrude Stein's libretto, Four Saints in Three Acts. Stein's writing has played a role in Mozenter's work in the past to the extent that the artist feels that the work is at times "a collaboration" between her and this avant-garde American writer from the first half of the twentieth century.
Mozenter's sculptures have a corporeality that heightens their impact, suggesting that each one is a personality or a portrait. They are remarkably emotive objects, perhaps imbued with the artist's psyche, as if the threads that dangle from them were once tethered to her. The seams of the vessels are laid bare, revealing the strength and vulnerability that only a sewn form could communicate. The materials in Mozenter's work take on heightened significance in these mysteriously sacred objects. Humble felt--a material developed originally for industry--and ice-cream spoons scavenged from the sidewalk speak to the everyday. Silk threads and occasional pearls hint at the value imbued in the modest sculptures. With pencil, the artist inscribes her work with child-like letters and marks, which function to keep the objects hovering between drawing and sculpture, sacred and sketch.
This exhibition was curated by Aldrich curatorial director Jessica Hough.
This exhibition and its associated publications were generously funded by:
additional images | click to enlarge
 |
Cyrilla Mozenter, More Saints seen, #5, 2003, Wool, felt, silk thread, pencil, wooden ice cream spoons, button, pearl
Top of page: Cyrilla Mozenter, More Saints seen, #11, 2004, Wool felt, silk thread, pencil, pears, bugle beads
