Fine Art Focus: Marela Zacarias

Installation and mural work wasn’t something I learned about in earnest until I moved to NYC for college in 1999. Outside of our beloved hometown Wyland whale wall, I’d never seen many site-specific installations. But walking around Manhattan in the early 2000s was a visual feast of incredible murals, sculpture work and graffiti. Those area-specific paintings and installations made me look at walls everywhere through a totally new lens. So when Ana sent me this week’s selection of fine art to explore, I was so excited to see artist Marela Zacarias. Marela is a contemporary painter and sculptor based in Brooklyn, NY who creates beautiful installations that seem to move and flow in the wind, despite being sturdy and static works of art. I was thrilled to read more about her today, and I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about her below. Be sure to check out this collection of progress photos and video clips from one of her latest installations. xo, grace

Artist: Marela Zacarias
About: Marela was born in 1978 in Mexico City, Mexico. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 and got her MFA in painting from Hunter College in 2012. Her work has been shown across the United States and she has worked and taught across the U.S., Guatemala and Mexico. She is now based in Brooklyn, NY where she had her first solo show at the Brooklyn Museum.
Work: Marela creates stunning, site-specific sculptural installations that combine painting and traditional sculpture work. She creates sculptures that have undulating forms (often made from window screens), decorated in bold, geometric designs.
More: You can read more about Marela here on her website, here at the Brooklyn Museum or here on YouTube.

All artwork (c) Marela Zacarias. Photos via MarelaZacarias.com, ART21 New York Close Up and St. Luke’s Guild.