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TINT Gallery is pleased to announce Alexandra Cicorschi’s first solo exhibition, “No Middle Ground.” Cicorschi creates artwork out of salvaged wood, collected from construction sites, and discarded furniture around the Bay Area. The process of recycling lies at the base of her art practice, both as a plea for sustainability as well as her personal belief in the importance of renewal through recirculation. The show is on view from January 15 - April 1st, 2022.
Cicorschi’s new body of work is a contemplation on how people navigate situations of conflict. “No Middle Ground” is the liminal space where forces crash into each other and pull away in opposite directions. When two views confront each other with equal weight, the tension creates a need for a shift. These are situations of rivalry as well as utmost trials for solidarity between two people.
As seen in the artwork titles, each work represents two contradicting points of view within one composition, such as “I have hope | I have fear” or “Build | Dismantle.” While each statement represents a singular view, the opposing statements, side by side, take on a new meaning. When forces inside relationships compress, the resulting tension can either carve bridges towards a common ground or lead to rupture. In some of Cicorschi’s pieces, the feelings of disharmony and rupture are represented by the complete physical severance of the artwork in two. In other works, such as “Too Soon I Too Late,” the two sides come together in a joint, fluid resolve. When two people attempt to identify a middle ground between their opposing wills, they can forge a path forward. Ultimately, what can keep people from drifting apart is their ability to remain in these transitional spaces long enough until both sides can move towards the next step together.
About Alexandra Cicorschi
Cicorschi was born in Romania during the last years of its communist regime. Her childhood environment impressed upon her the necessity to repair broken objects and to creatively reuse items; very few resources were discarded as trash.
Recycling lies at the core of Cicorschi’s artwork. While folding cardboard boxes, saving cans and bottles, may make us feel better about the number of things we use, this doesn’t change how the products we buy are meant to be thrown away after one or very little use. This, in turn, deprives us from imbuing objects with our own identity. For Cicorschi, salvaged objects carry within them a previous life which she continues through the process of transformation. Recycling is a way to connect to people and their stories, finding inspiration in creating something new out of something old.
After finishing her art studies at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, Cicorschi moved to California, in 2011. She was immediately struck by the numerous materials being discarded at renovation and demolition sites. Slabs of wood and strips of lath hundreds of years old lay on sidewalks waiting to be hauled away. While discovering a love for making furniture, she started developing what is now an essential part of her process - finding discarded wood, removing nails, screws, plaster, or varnish, and re-milling in order to resurface the beauty inherent in each material. Once this preparation is complete, she uses the newly created strips as her color palette, interlacing wood grain textures to create wall-hanging “flat sculptures.”
About TINT Gallery
TINT is a space where art inspires connection. It showcases contemporary artists who innovate across media, spotlighting women artists in particular. TINT carefully curates selections of works to showcase the artists' technical skills as well as their ability to communicate something immediate to the viewer.
TINT is a new kind of gallery: there’s no intimidation, prices are always listed, and the process of acquiring art is made transparent and accessible. They’ve even created a seating area so you can linger and take in the art