A Room Strewn with Body Parts: Sara Zielinski's work makes you look
Brooklyn based artist, Sara Zielinski's room at stARTup San Francisco this past April was strewn with body parts. Draped with yards and yards of silkscreened fabric, embroidery, drawings, paintings, and collage, she covered every inch of the room with figures in vulnerable and intimate poses suggesting what she calls, "the motives and feelings that are often left unsaid but can weigh heavily on friendships, romantic relationships, and encounters with strangers."
Sara's works are intentionally open for speculation and have a suggestive quality, hinting at the situations from which they arise and calling on the viewer to engage with the subjects. With each new viewer, a new relationship is realized, the one between the viewer and the subjects.
With several works available on Artfinder, here are a few more things you might want to know about Sara Zielinski:
1. Why do you make your work?
I make art to help myself make sense of the world and my experiences and as a way of connecting with people. Making art can be a very solitary experience so when I show my work I really enjoy witnessing people engaging with it. stARTup was amazing in this way - I was in my installation all weekend so I heard or overheard many different reactions to the space and the images and objects within it which is kind of invaluable for me.
Sara Zielinski at stARTup SF 2018 featuring works for sale on Artfinder
2. How did you choose or land on the mediums you use now?
I’m constantly incorporating new materials, processes, and techniques into my work, and my choice of media follows the needs of each project. Right now I am doing a lot of work with printed textiles which feels very natural coming from a printmaking background. I print etchings, litho plates, and screenprints onto fabric to create unique pillows, quilts, furniture covers, wallhangings, and backdrops for video sets. Lately I have also been using digital print techniques to make clothing and more accessories.
3. What are you presently inspired by?
Earlier this summer I took a week-long writing workshop at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. Having spent a week writing my own truths and listening to those of my classmates, I am feeling inspired by the humanity we share and the individual challenges we face. I am inspired by the power in telling our stories, both for the writer or artist and for the reader or viewer. Whether the form the story takes is written, visual, cinematic, or musical, there is so much to be gained by both telling our stories and being open to listening to others' stories. Now back in my studio, I am striving to maintain the courage to tell my stories.
4. Other than your art practice, what other work do you do?
I am working for an art conservator and a painter as assistants in their respective studios. I have learned a lot for my own practice from the various artists and art world professionals I've assisted.
5. What are your current artistic influences?
Lee Lozano, Ray Johnson, Louise Bourgeois, and Tracey Emin. For each of these artists, it is hard to see any boundaries between art and life.
6. And finally, what's your least favorite color?
This is harder than I thought. Maybe mauve or taupe. Maybe I dislike the words more than the colors.
7. Do you have any upcoming events?
Under Mary's Feet, Acrylic on Canvas and available on Artfinder
I currently have work in Ghost in the Machine, an exhibition of ghost prints, at Shoestring Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Ghost in the Machine is on view through September 13.
Upcoming in Boston, I will be participating in South End Open Studios (Sept. 15-16) and will have work in Artcetera 2018 to benefit the AIDS Action Committee (Oct. 27).
Shop Artfinder for a wide and growing selection of stARTup artists and be sure to catch other artists we've featured on our blog.
All stARTup artists are vetted by an independent jury for each fair to ensure that art collectors, enthusiasts, and professionals are discovering and purchasing works from today's top independent artists in the market.
If you appreciate Sara's work and story you may also like our post about Mexico City Artist (and stARTup Exhibitor), Abraham Mascorro Morales, or our You Want a Piece of Me post about women in art including a popular Art Conversation "The Future is Female" we hosted at stARTup LA in January.
