Zaria Forman

Zaria Forman




A brief bio...
The inspiration for my drawings began in early childhood when I traveled with my family throughout several of the world's most remote landscapes, which were the subject of my mother's fine art photography. After my formal training at Skidmore college I now exhibit extensively in galleries and venues throughout the United States and overseas.

In addition to exhibitions, recent projects include a series of drawings that served as the set design for the classic ballet Giselle, which premiered in October 2012 at the Grand Theatre of Geneva, Switzerland (see the drawings and performance photos on the Giselle page) Ten of my drawings were also used in the set design for House of Cards, a Netflix TV series directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey.

In August 2012 I led Chasing the Light, an art expedition sailing up the northwest coast of Greenland, retracing the 1869 journey of American painter William Bradford and artistically documenting the rapidly changing arctic landscape. Continuing to address climate change in my work, I will spend September 2013 in the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

I was born in South Natick, MASS, oct.29th, 1982. I grew up in Piermont NY, a small beautiful town 30 min north of Manhattan. I now live in brooklyn, ny, where i have my studio. Although i focus mainly on the art at the moment, i am also a yoga teacher and a jewelry designer.

My inspiration for drawing began early in my life. Throughout my childhood my family traveled all over the world to remote landscapes which were the subject of my mother's fine art photography. I developed an appreciation for the beauty and vastness of the ever-changing sky and sea. I loved watching a far off storm on the western desert plains, the monsoon rains of southern India, and the cold arctic light illuminating Greenland's waters. In my work I explore moments of transition, turbulence and tranquility in the landscape and their impact on the viewer. In this process I am reminded of how small we are when confronted with the powerful forces of nature. The act of drawing can be a meditation for me, and my hope is that the viewer can share this experience of tranquil escape when engaging the work.

Past heroes include 19th century landscape painters such as John Constable, Thomas Cole, (including many others from the Hudson River School) and certainly Turner's luminous paintings. One current influence is my mom. She has taught me a great deal about light, and the ways it can be captured illuminating a landscape. Another contemporary inspiration is Robert Longo. I made the decision to begin my cloud study series when i first saw his wave drawings at the 2004 Whitney Biennial. The techniques with which they are drawn amaze me. His exhibition at Metro Pictures "The Outward and Visible Signs of an Inward and Invisible Grace" embodied similar themes to my work... certainly awe inspiring.