Description
The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present artist Shari Dierkes’ exhibition, “On Display II,” February 4-25, 2022. Dierkes was named a 2021 Emerging Artist Fellow in Visual Arts: Crafts by the Delaware Division of the Arts. Admission to the Mezzanine Gallery is free, and it is open to the public.
“On Display II” is a visual storytelling of Dierkes’ artistic journey that includes some of her previous work; her Artist Fellowship application collection; and new works created as a result of the Fellowship. She chose the title, she says, to play on the vulnerability she has experienced displaying her art — the graphic embodiment of her inner thoughts — in a public forum.
“My curiosity about the realities of human life include a deep dive into behavior, psychology, and relationships, and the conversations these elements have with each other,” she notes. “My hope is that viewers get a sense of how the parts of our existence work together, even if not always in harmony. We are imperfect systems.”
Dierkes’ work often uses plants as a metaphor for her experiences in the human condition. Her material choices are often driven by natural resources with malleable properties, such as wood, metal, and gemstones.
“I find using my hands to explore and manipulate materials allows the ‘noise’ in my brain to slow down,” she says. “With this quieting of my mind, I am able to create objects and drawings that express my fascination with the human experience.”
Dierkes says the act of creating art, for her, is like the need to eat. “I need to do some form of it to survive. Even more, though, it’s like eating a favorite meal. I not only need to create art, but I also thoroughly enjoy creating it.”
The artist is hosting an opening reception in the Mezzanine Gallery on Friday, February 4 from 5-7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.
Image: Detail, The Glorification of Motherhood, 2021, mixed media: wool, new polyester, polyester from a vintage wedding dress worn in first marriage, vintage seed beads, natural stone beads, fine silver, 7”x7”x7”
The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. All visitors are required to wear face coverings and maintain social distance of 3 feet from other individuals not in their household.