Erica Mao
Bio: Erica Mao (b.1994) is best known for her atmospheric layered paintings that stitch together disparate spaces into alternate realities. Depictions of wild, imaginative landscapes explore the feelings of fear, tension, and suspense by following the path of her characters as they weave their way in and out of the narrative. Mao has exhibited throughout the US at galleries such as Steve Turner gallery, K and P gallery, Madison Park Gallery, and IPCNY. Born in Maryland, Mao attended Parsons School of Design and received her BFA in 2016. She also received her MFA from Columbia University in 2020. She lives and works in Ridgewood, Queens.
www.ericamaoart.com
Instagram: @erica.mao
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: My paintings and ceramic sculptures offer two entryways into the same world. This world envisions imaginative, inhospitable landscapes for my protagonists to wander through, searching for a place of respite, a spiritual revelation, or an understanding of their place outside of society. Exiled, my protagonists accept the only thing they have left — their images moving across the vast, hostile land where they have been shunned to.
L to R: Deep Dark Depths (11" x 11.5" x 10, Ceramic, 2021); Devil's Ridge (18" x 15" x 15", Ceramic, 2021); Flesh and Bone (9" x 5" x 12", Ceramic, 2021); In the Dunes (24" x 36", Oil on panel, 2021); Lake of Fire (18" x 24", Oil on panel, 2020); Three Cabins (9" x 12", Oil on panel, 2021); Manhunt (11" x 14", Oil on panel, 2020); Red Ridge (18" x 24", Oil on panel, 2021); Floating Between (24" x 30", Oil on panel, 2021); Primordial Growth (5" x 10.5" x 15", Ceramic, 2021); Starfire (14" x 14" x 7", Ceramic, 2021); Sun Swim (16" x 20", Oil on panel, 2020); Fever Dream (24" x 30", Oil on panel, 2020); Sad Man (8" x 10", Oil on panel, 2020); Tidal Pool (8" x 12" x 12", Ceramic, 2021); Deep Dark Depths (11" x 11.5" x 10, Ceramic, 2021); Flesh and Bone (9" x 5" x 12", Ceramic, 2021); Tidal Pool (8" x 12" x 12", Ceramic, 2021); Tree at Night (14" x 5" x 4", Ceramic, 2021); Waterfall (24" x 30", Oil on panel, 2020); Wicked Mountain (16" x 15" x 10", Ceramic, 2021)
