Artist Statement
My paintings and installations are the synthesis of my exploration into the body and form.
I focus on bodies coming together, uniting through relationships and physical contact, from daily social interactions to unique intimate encounters. The emotional relationships in my life come to the forefront. I record experiences like snapshots. Then recalling in color I break moments down into shapes of substance, recreating the space and movement. Sometimes I reflect on previous actions that stuck out, sometimes a moment must be documented immediately. While dynamic and complicated, my memories often hold many of the same simple elements, touching, reaching, ideas and bodies sharing space. I am often both within the moment and removed from it, I am able to record the overall composition of events, creating a durational experience layered on a single plane.
I also have a strong relationship with color, which is extremely playful. I love to mix color endlessly, happily creating colors and color combinations that best evoke the feeling of the moment. There is a lot of play within my work during the processing stages, especially in regards to material.
The sculptural installations are an attempt to recreate the moments that inspire the paintings. Therefore, I strive to bring people together. By offering a soft and colorful experience, I create an inviting environment for the viewer to become a participant. They are suddenly touching and being touched, by biomorphic shapes or perhaps another participant. Once their guard is let down, playing and emotional moments are contained.
My paintings and installations are the synthesis of my exploration into the body and form.
I focus on bodies coming together, uniting through relationships and physical contact, from daily social interactions to unique intimate encounters. The emotional relationships in my life come to the forefront. I record experiences like snapshots. Then recalling in color I break moments down into shapes of substance, recreating the space and movement. Sometimes I reflect on previous actions that stuck out, sometimes a moment must be documented immediately. While dynamic and complicated, my memories often hold many of the same simple elements, touching, reaching, ideas and bodies sharing space. I am often both within the moment and removed from it, I am able to record the overall composition of events, creating a durational experience layered on a single plane.
I also have a strong relationship with color, which is extremely playful. I love to mix color endlessly, happily creating colors and color combinations that best evoke the feeling of the moment. There is a lot of play within my work during the processing stages, especially in regards to material.
The sculptural installations are an attempt to recreate the moments that inspire the paintings. Therefore, I strive to bring people together. By offering a soft and colorful experience, I create an inviting environment for the viewer to become a participant. They are suddenly touching and being touched, by biomorphic shapes or perhaps another participant. Once their guard is let down, playing and emotional moments are contained.
CV
Elizabeth Amento
Lives and works in San Francisco, CA
Education
2009 School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) /Tufts University, Boston MA
Master of Fine Arts
2006 Brandeis University, Waltham MA
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
2005 Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA
Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art / Psychology
Solo Exhibitions
2010
-Your mind forgets, but your body remembers, Timezone Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011
-Paint By Numbers, WE Artspace, Oakland, CA
-Chain Letter, Samson Projects, Boston MA
2010
-Proximity: Elizabeth Amento and Jessica Laurent, Fivepoints Arthouse,
San Francisco, CA
-Converging Trajectories, Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
-Get into it, Mission Arts & Performance Project, Revolution Café,
San Francisco CA
-Come Writhing, The Palm, Oakland, CA
2009
-Postcard Show 13, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
-Yeah I think you should, since we’re here, MFA Thesis Exhibition,
Tufts University Art Gallery, Medford, MA
-Assessment Alaska, Distillery Gallery, Boston, MA
2008
-Mash Up, Mass College of Art, Boston, MA
-A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Florida S. College, Melvin Gallery, Florida
2007
-Performance Projects, Mobius, Boston MA
-Boston Young Contemporaries, Boston U./808 Commonwealth Gallery,
Jurors Chie Fueki, Sheila Gallagher, Bruce Brown, Boston MA*
-Uiwang International Placard Art Festival, Uiwang City, Kyunggido, Korea
2006
-Graduate Student Exhibition, Juried, SMFA, Weems Gallery, Boston MA
-Boston Young Contemporaries, Boston University/ 808 Commonwealth
Gallery. Jurors Kiki Smith, Gideon Bok, Laura Donaldson, Boston MA
Awards
2008 Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship Nomination, SMFA, Boston, MA
Bartlett Travel Grant, SMFA, Boston, MA
2007 RGH Paint Prize @ Boston Young Contemporaries,* Boston, MA
2005 Allison R. Mcomber, Jr. Award in Fine Arts for Studio Art, Boston College, MA
Departmental Honors, Fine Arts Department, Boston College, MA
Arts Council Award, Boston College, MA
Press
• ArtBusiness
• The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research
• Big, Red, and Shiny
• Boston College Magazine
Lives and works in San Francisco, CA
Education
2009 School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) /Tufts University, Boston MA
Master of Fine Arts
2006 Brandeis University, Waltham MA
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
2005 Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA
Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art / Psychology
Solo Exhibitions
2010
-Your mind forgets, but your body remembers, Timezone Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2011
-Paint By Numbers, WE Artspace, Oakland, CA
-Chain Letter, Samson Projects, Boston MA
2010
-Proximity: Elizabeth Amento and Jessica Laurent, Fivepoints Arthouse,
San Francisco, CA
-Converging Trajectories, Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
-Get into it, Mission Arts & Performance Project, Revolution Café,
San Francisco CA
-Come Writhing, The Palm, Oakland, CA
2009
-Postcard Show 13, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
-Yeah I think you should, since we’re here, MFA Thesis Exhibition,
Tufts University Art Gallery, Medford, MA
-Assessment Alaska, Distillery Gallery, Boston, MA
2008
-Mash Up, Mass College of Art, Boston, MA
-A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Florida S. College, Melvin Gallery, Florida
2007
-Performance Projects, Mobius, Boston MA
-Boston Young Contemporaries, Boston U./808 Commonwealth Gallery,
Jurors Chie Fueki, Sheila Gallagher, Bruce Brown, Boston MA*
-Uiwang International Placard Art Festival, Uiwang City, Kyunggido, Korea
2006
-Graduate Student Exhibition, Juried, SMFA, Weems Gallery, Boston MA
-Boston Young Contemporaries, Boston University/ 808 Commonwealth
Gallery. Jurors Kiki Smith, Gideon Bok, Laura Donaldson, Boston MA
Awards
2008 Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship Nomination, SMFA, Boston, MA
Bartlett Travel Grant, SMFA, Boston, MA
2007 RGH Paint Prize @ Boston Young Contemporaries,* Boston, MA
2005 Allison R. Mcomber, Jr. Award in Fine Arts for Studio Art, Boston College, MA
Departmental Honors, Fine Arts Department, Boston College, MA
Arts Council Award, Boston College, MA
Press
• ArtBusiness
• The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research
• Big, Red, and Shiny
• Boston College Magazine
