CYNTHIA ZEMAN
I make paintings that are colorful, pretty and humorous to attract attention, and then subvert expectations. I collage images from various sources, from high art to pop-culture, from funny baby goat videos to hair curler packaging, and create scenarios that force the viewer to look at the very things they wish to avoid.
In my current series, I am exploring what we deliberately decide to turn away from. Whether it’s the still stultifying expectations for women, or what is going on politically in the outside world, we all escape and disengage. I am interested in what we ignore and how we distract ourselves – what do we try to change and when do we pull the curtains shut?
Cynthia Zeman lives just north of Boston. She majored in film production as an undergraduate at New York University, and her experimental film, Phoenix, was bought by Warner Brothers and taken on tour as an opening act by the band King Crimson. It also won best Experimental film at the Houston International Film Festival. Her work in film production and editing ranged from Japanese commercials to the award-winning independent films Film for Two and Broadway Damage.
Currently her work is in the Massart Masters show in Boston’s City Hall. Her work is held by collectors in New York, Washington DC and Spain.