Zaria Forman
Biography
Zaria Forman's enthusiasm for drawing began early in her childhood, when she and her family traveled to some of the world's most remote landscapes, the subject of her Mother's fine art photography. A Cum laude graduate in Studio Arts from Skidmore College, Zaria has exhibited extensively at galleries and venues throughout the united states and overseas. She created a series of drawings that served as the set design for the classic ballet "Giselle", which premiered in October, 2012 at the Grand Theatre of Geneva, Switzerland. A number of her drawings were used in the set design for "House of Cards", a Netflix TV series directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey.
In August 2012, Zaria led Chasing the Light, an arctic art expedition up the North West Coast of Greenland. It was the second expedition to this area whose mission was to create art inspired by the dramatic geography. The first was in 1869 aboard the Panther, led by the American painter William Bradford. Her mother, Rena Bass Forman, had conceived the idea for the voyage, but sadly did not live to see it through. During the months of her illness her dedication to the expedition never wavered and Zaria made a promise to carry out her mother’s final journey to honor her. In Greenland Zaria scattered her ashes amongst crackling ice diamonds, on the towering peak of one of earth’s oldest stones and under the green glow of northern lights. Rena is now a part of the landscape she loved so much.
Following a section of the Panther route, Chasing the Light found several locations photographed by John Dunmore and George Critcherson, the photographers hired by Bradford to help him document the voyage. As Bradford did in the nineteenth century, Zaria refers in my work to photographs she captured in Greenland, her sketches drawn en route, and most importantly her memory of the experience.
“With my Greenland series I attempt to capture the ephemeral properties of arctic light. I am interested in the element of water and how it absorbs and reflects the light in its various forms. The forms that we easily recognize are water, cloud, and ice; these are essential elements that inspire my compositions. I am also interested in the transition between these states and enjoy the challenge of translating such sublime experiences into my work. The different forms of illuminated water give rise to the dreamy, atmospheric scenes that I hope will transport the viewer to this remote region of the earth, and encourage action to preserve it.” - Zaria Forman
Exhibits
Dedee Shattuck Gallery | August 2 - 27, 2017 | August Exhibition
Dedee Shattuck Gallery | November 16 - December 22, 2013 | Small Works, 2013
Dedee Shattuck Gallery | May 1 - May 26, 2013 | Zaria Forman, Huguette May, Sandra Allen
Dedeeshattuckgallery@gmail.com | 508. 636. 4177 | 1 Partners' Lane, Westport, MA 02790 | W - Sat, 10 - 5, Sun 12 - 5