Andrea Dezsö

Traver Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, Storytelling, by mixed-media artist Andrea Dezsö. The exhibition opens with a reception on Thursday, August 1st, from 5–8 p.m., featuring Dezsö‘s newest works across various media, including drawing, painting, monotype prints, woodcut panels, pyrovitreography, embroidery on fabric, and blown glass sculpture.

Dezsö‘s work delves into lived experiences, often expressed through figurative and narrative forms. Her art explores personal and societal themes such as women’s roles, authoritarianism, family dynamics, ideological and societal influences on the individual, relationships with nature, and the human body. She meticulously selects materials that best translate her concepts into visual narratives, often drawing inspiration from nature and the spirit world depicted in folklore and folk traditions.

The wood sculptures in Storytelling are created from Baltic birch plywood, a material Dezsö favors for its quality and workability. However, the war in Ukraine disrupted this supply, prompting Dezsö to shift towards self-reliance and sustainability. She now makes her own watercolor paints, inks, and paper from locally sourced natural materials, subverting commercial supply chains and fostering a closer connection with nature.

The glass sculptures featured in this exhibition were created during an artist residency at the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, two in collaboration with the artist’s friend, Dan Friday. Using these glass sculptures, Dezsö created pyrovitreographs—monotype prints made by rolling hot etched glass onto paper. She then painted and drew on the prints, adding rich layers of color, texture, and storytelling to the works. Additionally, Dezsö‘s embroidery series Lessons From My Mother poignantly conveys the humor, confusion, and heartbreak she experienced during her mother’s battle with dementia and her passing.

Andrea Dezsö is a celebrated visual artist with permanent public art installations in three New York City subway stations, the United States Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, and CUNY BMCC Fiterman Hall in Lower Manhattan. Her mosaic Community Garden in the New York City subway was recognized as Best American Public Art in 2007 by Americans for the Arts. Dezsö‘s works have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, and she currently serves as a Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Traver Gallery and the artist thank the Rhode Island School of Design for their generous support of Dezsö’s residency at MOG, which made this exhibition possible.