Stefania Urist
Solo Exhibition

Man-Made Mother Earth, Stefania Urist’s solo exhibition at Helmholz Fine Art, addresses the relationships between humans, nature, and architecture.

The categories of humanity, nature, and architecture are more intertwined and complex than the discrete concepts suggest. For this reason, Urist’s sculptures connect man-made materials with natural forms in order to complicate and question these divisions that humans have created. The artwork explores these interconnected concepts to bring attention to human involvement in the constant alteration of natural habitats and the Anthropocene.

Urist’s newest series of leaded glass tree parts, entitled Make Your Mark, is a critique on the way humans see nature as a resource to use at their disposal. The human fingerprints replace the rings of the tree where the stump, log, or tree cookie have been cut. The only way to see this view of the tree rings, in order to determine its age, is by cutting the tree to see the slice. The human hand is evident in this process. If the tree were to fall or break naturally, it would splinter, not allowing for the view of the rings, thus, the human fingerprint. The echoing pattern of the tree rings in the finger print then reminds the viewer that humans are part of nature, but the tree has been affected by humans.

Urist’s work includes found, used, and repurposed construction materials like glass, metal, and wood as a conceptual reference point to draw connections and explore differences between city and nature, architecture and organic matter, and geometric structures and human bodies.

We’re excited to bring this important solo exhibition to our community. For your health and safety, we will be limiting the gallery to 25 people at a time, and you will be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing.