Margaret Lanzetta's Two-Decade Survey Explores Cultural Collisions Through Pattern and Material
The Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, hosted Margaret Lanzetta's exhibition 'Pet the Pretty Tiger: Works 1990-2010' from October 21 to December 15, 2010, under the curation of Carol Schwarzman. This retrospective showcased twenty years of Lanzetta's artistry, which melded industrial materials with cultural motifs. Her artistic journey featured sculptural works such as 'Arcanta Group' (1991) before shifting to painting around 1992, utilizing Mylar panels. Notable series like 'Cultural Instructions' (2003-2004) and 'Company Paintings' (2009) explore themes of wallpaper history and colonialism. Techniques incorporated include silkscreen and digital methods. An essay in the exhibition catalog by John Yau examines her connection to modern information networks.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Margaret Lanzetta: Pet the Pretty Tiger: Works 1990-2010' ran October 21 – December 15, 2010
- Curated by Carol Schwarzman at Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
- Survey covered two decades of work blending industrial materials with cultural patterns from Japan, India, Syria
- Early sculptures like 'Arcanta Group' (1991) show connection to Postminimalist Eva Hesse
- Transition to painting around 1992 maintained meditative processes on large Mylar panels
- 'Company Paintings' series (2009) consists of 12 paintings titled after Indian towns with area codes
- Used diverse techniques: silkscreen, digital tech, traditional paints, pigmented pulp at Dieu Donne Papermill
- Essay by John Yau, poet/critic and Associate Professor at Mason Gross School of Arts, Rutgers University
Entities
Artists
- Margaret Lanzetta
- Eva Hesse
- Bridget Riley
- Jasper Johns
- John Yau
- Carol Schwarzman
- Stéphane Mallarmé
Institutions
- Cantor Art Gallery
- College of the Holy Cross
- Dieu Donne Papermill
- East India Company
- Mason Gross School of the Arts
- Rutgers University
- DAP, Distributed Art Publishers
- Fulbright Research Fellowship
- Workspace Residency Grant
Locations
- Worcester, MA
- United States
- New York
- Japan
- India
- Syria
- Central Asia
- North Africa
- England
- Germany