Under the moniker CHIAOZZA, Adam Frezza & Terri Chiao collaborate to create playful and often comical interventions on craft, design, sculpture and painting. During their Uprise Art x MacArthur Place residency in Sonoma, CHIAOZZA explored the intersection of the natural and imagined worlds, gathering inspiration for their newest series. Back in Brooklyn, the series was realized as Small Shrines to Nothingness, wall-mounted painted paper pulp sculptures that act as a vessel for holding a small object one wishes to celebrate.
Photos by Emma K. Morris
“Our work draws a lot of inspiration from nature, and Sonoma is amazing. We'll use some of the shapes that we've collected on the grounds, and then use color to make these paper pulp paintings that float and hang on the wall.”
“Working together encourages an immediate sense of Play. I think that Play often is a metaphor for how we collaborate.”
“Coming [to MacArthur Place] and feeling like everything got clear for a moment; that will echo in our lives, and we'll bring it back to the studio.”
“These four pulp paintings were created with recycled paper pulp pressed through custom paper-making screens created for these artworks. The shapes and colors stem from some of our experiences in Sonoma, including playing along oceanside rock formations, hiking along a golden valley trail at sunset, collecting fallen ginkgo berries, and laying out sticks and leaves. ”
Explore the multidisciplinary practice of artist duo CHIAOZZA in this behind-the-scenes look at some of their most recent projects.
