As part of an ongoing exploration of collage, Di Risio’s most recent installation revisits work which began as tracings of objects found in her grandmother’s house. Guided by her memory of these domestic spaces, and offered in grateful remembrance of a familial home, Di Risio combines ornate patterns and textures with thrifted and personal objects to compose wall-based works. Tracings Revisited presents scaled-up drawings of period furniture cut from vintage wallpaper, both reminiscent of Italianate décor. These mingle with fragments of furniture, collected silver trays and crystal dishes which extend into the gallery space and serve as both personal tribute and interpretation of a former place. Accompanying the larger collages is a series of black marker silhouettes overlaid on pages of popular North American cookbooks, continuing the artist’s evolving interest in the custom of passing down and sharing recipes. With Tracings Revisited, Di Risio extends a decorative vernacular into a broader understanding of how one’s experiences with objects, patterns and textures serve to shape memory and personal narrative.
An exhibition essay by artist and curator Fausta Facciponte accompanies this exhibition; read the full essay here
Photography by Peggy Taylor Reid.